The King of Commoners
by Xyrule
Summary: David Wilson had a normal life, normal interests, and a little bit of an unhealthy obsession with anime. When he finds himself summoned by Louise, he immediately knows what's going on - but that doesn't guarantee that he can fill Saito's role easily. Now, he has to hope he can use his knowledge of the series to keep himself alive...and maybe get some other benefits.
1. Guitar Playing and Summoning

**All songs used in this fanfiction are copyrighted material by the artists. I do not own Familiar of Zero (RIP Yamaguchi Noboru).**

 **(10/8/18) Finally gotten around to updating this! A note on the edits: It's not completely reworked, that would be impossible with the time constraint I've given myself, but I will be handling the most obvious problems, though a couple errors will be kept because they were referenced later on. Hope you understand, not that new readers after everything is fixed will have any idea what I'm talking about. Enjoy!**

 **(12/12/18) Only one more update left, finishing off the revisions of the remainder of the Fouquet Arc! We're almost there! As a side note, anyone know what I should do for the second anniversary of the story coming this 16th?**

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David cursed under his breath as the pick squeaked over one of the strings of his guitar, producing an incorrect note despite the string being taut.

The guitar, a Martin HD-28, was old, owned by at least two generations in his family, and had been passed down to him. He wasn't bad with it, in fact, he considered himself to have quite a bit of talent with the instrument...when it was tuned properly. Its age certainly showed sometimes when a strong didn't work as it was supposed to, but even as old as it was, this wasn't as common as he had expected when he first received it.

His skill with the guitar hadn't come naturally. He'd been practicing for years to perfect it, and he deemed it completely worth the effort. Now, he was so proficient at recognizing the notes that he could follow along with his favorite songs, playing by ear the tunes in the background.

He was hopeless with drums, and put him with a piano and you will somehow hear a dying cat coming from the ivories. He couldn't even play his favorite wordless tune, the song _Oracion_ from the Pokemon movie Rise of Darkrai, on its original instrument.

So he remade the song, playing it on the guitar instead. It sounded a little strange, classical music coming from a somewhat modern guitar, but to anyone who hadn't heard the original song, it was quite good, for an amateur guitarist with too much free time.

After pulling on the knobs on the headstock to adjust the tautness of the string he'd had problems with before, he ran the pick along the strings again, testing the sound, nodding in satisfaction as the problem string worked correctly, and he adjusted his hand so it would be on the fretboard in the position he needed to be in in order to play the song he had been practicing.

He smiled as he played, the notes echoing around the campus. No one would be here at this time of day, hours after school had ended, though it wouldn't have mattered anyway since he sat on a bench outside the building the school's band room was in. Some student practicing with their instrument was common here.

But none of that mattered to him anyway. Once the notes started flowing, his mind shut itself off from everything else, focusing only on the movement of his hands and the words he sang if he so chose. This particular song was wordless, a tune he had created himself, heavily utilizing the two thinnest strings in the melody...a trademark of his original pieces, which was why he got so irritated when that stupid string was out of line.

But the guitar was old. He expected problems and knew that it would be worn from generations of use, and he wanted to keep the guitar. He knew he could simply buy a newer and better one, but there was something about holding and using something played by his grandfather, that had survived since before World War II, that he enjoyed knowing while he played. It was comforting, knowing the instrument in his hands had been played so many times before he had even been born, and knowing that it would continue to be dependable. Even without being a history nut, he could appreciate its background.

When he played his guitar, he was able to ignore the problems in the world. He could forget the stress of February and all the annoying people getting excited for Valentine's Day among other special events, forget how he still had a long way to go in learning how to skateboard, forget how angry he was that they killed Rem again in the anime he was currently watching.

But, all good things come to an end, and as his playing slowed to a finish, he grew aware of reality again. He stopped, sighing as he simply held the instrument silently, poised to continue playing, as he dearly wished he could...But he had to be picked up by his mother now. She was probably waiting for him in the typical spot, and he couldn't make her wait for long.

He returned the guitar to the case sitting next to him, clasping it closed and ensuring that it was secured, before he stood up, taking the case by the strap and slinging it over his neck, wrapping it underneath one of his armpits to hold it diagonally across his back, resting over the small backpack he also carried - which was void of actual school supplies, since he had only had band class that day, and simply contained the survival materials he always brought. Sure, it may have been unnecessary to take a First-Aid kit, 200 feet of rope, two pocket knives, and various other things to school every day, but it didn't hurt to have them. You never know when someone needs help on split-second notice...though the rope may have been a bit much.

As he walked, he hummed a tune to himself. The instrumental to the opening theme of To LOVE-ru season 1, "Forever We Can Make It", a song he enjoyed listening to even if he didn't watch the series all that often.

He liked anime, it was a common pastime of his when he wasn't playing guitar, and a few of the songs he knew how to play -and sing- were openings or endings to various series, including this one.

Anime and guitar. An odd combination of hobbies, but it worked for him, and he had no reason to change his ways, so he simply balanced the two.

 _Hmm._ he thought to himself. _I should really finish Re:Zero, I've only got a couple episodes left...but today's Tuesday, I should really be prepping for the test tomorrow…_

He thought it over, before shrugging. "Eh, I'm prepared enough." he said out loud. "I'll just skip the studying today." Not the best decision, but he had the grades to back it up, so it should be fine.

As he walked, he looked around the path he took every day, smiling at the breeze. It was a hot day despite it being so early in the year, so the wind was welcome, and he was happy despite the annoying string popping again. He enjoyed this short walk, from the band building to the pick-up location, and he enjoyed this wind and the feeling of the guitar case bouncing on his back...even if it left his spine sore after walking for a while.

He blinked, looking down at his feet as he felt a tug on one of his shoes. He sighed, lifting his other foot from the shoelace that had come loose and found itself in the path of his pace.

He bent over to retie the shoe, and as he did so, he was unaware of the man-sized greenish oval that had appeared in front of him, right where he would have ended up had he continued walking. He wasn't even aware of it until he heard what sounded like a young girl, speaking in some other language...He wasn't very good with language but it sounded to him like Dutch.

" **My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe, my divine, beautiful, wise, powerful servant, heed my call. I wish from very bottom of my heart that you heed my summon and appear!"**

He blinked, looking up from his crouched position for the source of the voice, and his eyes widened in shock as he finally noticed the portal.

"What the-" he shouted, falling backwards in surprise, his guitar case making a thudding sound as it stopped his fall to the concrete of the sidewalk, knocking his breath away briefly before he regained his senses, staring wide-eyed at the portal, which despite being so bright seemed not to cast any light around it.

He knew what this was, and even though he didn't understand it, he had a strong feeling he knew exactly what the contents of the chant were.

"That's impossible…" he said, looking around. "Does...does nobody else notice this?!"

He didn't want to touch the portal. He knew what would happen if he did. He didn't want to be trapped in the world on the other side. Heck no, leave that for Saito.

It was a good thing he'd rewatched the series recently, otherwise he'd have been totally lost in how to handle this. As it was, he was not going to be an idiot about this. In the series, Saito had poked at the substance. He was obviously not going to do that, and so simply stood up, choosing to walk around it and pretend it was never even there.

Evidently, the portal had other ideas, extending a tendril of the green energy and wrapping itself around his arm, tugging at him and forcing him to stop as he turned around, staring at the energy as it forced his hand back.

He fought back, calling for help as it slowly began overpowering him, dragging him closer to it, but nobody seemed to even notice. While normally it was nice to be alone here, right now it only went against him. _What is this?! I didn't touch it, why is it taking me anyway?!_ he thought as the overwhelming suction of the portal forced him in completely, causing him to trip and fall headfirst into it as the world swirled away from him.


	2. Summon Servant

David didn't want to open his eyes, not for this, arguably the worst part of the summoning process. How that he was personally experiencing it, that was confirmed as despite his efforts, his eyes still peeled open at the sheer force of the wind as he fell, though he couldn't really see anything as his vision had faded to black despite still being fully conscious since his eyeballs were being pushed to the back of his head.

It was awful. The pressure was like a rollercoaster spiralling out of control with no tracks and no cars, just falling straight downwards, completely unable to stop or even slow down.

His ears popped as he hit terminal velocity, the familiar shape of the Tristain Magic Academy rapidly drawing closer below him as the ground slowly came to view, though his vision was still fuzzy and colorful spots formed everywhere he looked.

It made him feel sick. There was a reason he'd never wanted to try skydiving before, and this only proved it. It didn't help that he felt his guitar banging against his back, the wide surface area of the case giving it _just enough_ lift that it wouldn't stay flat on his back, banging repeatedly against his backpack with every small variation in his speed. Hopefully the instrument would survive intact, he really didn't want to lose his prized possession from something like this.

But he had bigger problems to deal with right now than the guitar potentially breaking. He was more worried about what the added weight might do to his body once he hit the ground. In the anime, Saito had stopped just before hitting the ground and then simply collapsed in the remaining few inches...but Saito had not had a heavy instrument strapped to his back.

He would have sighed in resignation had he not been falling at 120 miles an hour towards a deceptively tiny-looking patch of grass between the crowd of people that he started being able to see.

He couldn't help but close his eyes and brace for impact as he fell. There was nothing he could do about his situation right now, so panicking would do nothing to help him. Instead, he let his body relax, arms and legs extending outward to catch as much air as possible while the guitar acted as a sort of sail.

The fall continued for what felt like hours, before he passed into a thick cloud of dark brown smoke that blurred what little vision he had, and upon reaching the cloud, his momentum was cut short, stopping him just above the ground and knocking the breath from his body as the sudden stop forced all the pressure of the fall onto his chest and stomach.

Luckily for him, his guitar stopped just as quickly, and from the lack of sound or movement coming from the case, it seemed to have come out intact. Good, he didn't need to worry about it.

Instead, there was only one other thing to be immediately concerned about.

"Oof…" The last inch of the fall, once again kicking the air from his lungs as it dropped him the rest of the way, the guitar's weight pressing on his back as he lay still on the ground, facedown in the grass.

Now that he'd stopped moving, he had a keen sense of his body's unfortunate reaction to this unwanted turn of events. He wasn't going to throw up, but his stomach still turned as his forehead felt hot, a headache forming thanks to the intense forces he'd just had to go through.

The summoning itself, tearing him from his perfectly content life in his world, was bad enough, but was there actually any logical reason why it had to thrust him so high in the air? It seemed that it was invented purely to make the familiar's life as miserable as possible right from the start…

As he regained his senses, he rolled to his back, lying on the guitar case, the sound of people coughing clear now that his ears had stopped ringing.

He was lucky enough that the motion of his body had forced the cloud to dissipate in his immediately vicinity, but he still groaned at the throbbing in his spine as he instinctively gasped for air, his lungs still aching from being repeatedly squeezed.

Eventually, he was back to normal, at least enough to be more aware of what was going on.

The dust cloud had dissipated, and David became acutely aware of the eyes now staring at him and the pinkette standing nearby, a wand raised in her hand and an unreadable expression on her face.

Several seconds passed, before someone started to chuckle, and it quickly spread until everyone in the crowd was laughing.

" **Look at that! The Zero summoned a commoner!** " Kirche said, laughing as she sat with her new salamander, who had combusted the smoke near him and spared his master from the coughing fit everyone else was dealing with.

" **Look at those clothes! So weird!** " This time, it was Guiche, his pompous laugh easy to recognize despite awkwardly squatting next to the large mole he'd summoned.

" **What is that thing he's sitting on?** " Oddly, Montmorency, someone he hadn't expected to make a comment. Then again, it was entirely possible he was just hallucinating all this, and the small frog sitting on her shoulder really didn't help sell this being real.

David couldn't understand everything they said, but he knew from both watching the show and from the tone of their voices that they were jeering at the girl, who he recognized as Louise de la Valliere.

 _Great...looks like I'm not dreaming all this up after all...if this headache wasn't enough to prove it already…_

Louise glared at him, a piercing stare that didn't look all that intimidating on her cute face. Why was she acting like this was his fault? Sure, he knew she was very focused on keeping a personal image thanks to her already consistent failures, but still, this was all on her.

" **Mr. Colbert, can I try again, please?** " she asked. David didn't even need to understand her to know what she was saying, this part of the series was easy to remember.

The bald instructor shook his head apologetically, tapping the ground a couple times with the large staff he held in hand. " **Summon Servant is a sacred ritual, you can only perform it once...Ms. Valliere, please complete the contract.** "

Louise growled, before squatting in front of David, who sat up to look around better before blinking, shifting to lean back away from her.

The ritual was always completed the same way, and as embarrassing as it was to think about it, he was currently more worried about what comes after. Even just seeing it animated was painful to watch, and now, there was little he could to to prevent it from happening to himself, not without being immediately attacked by either an Explosion spell or something worse from an actual competent mage. So he grit his teeth and closed his eyes, sitting still and waiting for it to come.

Louise stared at him. " **Alright, familiar. I don't care if you're a commoner, I'm going to make this work no matter what.** "

She went quiet, and after hesitating long enough that he almost opened his eyes to check what was going on, the feeling of something on his lips came, and instinctively, he jolted back, the guitar rattling in its case as his eyes snapped open again.

He wasn't sure whether it was more that he had steeled his nerves for the burning soon to come, or Louise didn't know what she was doing, or if she truly saw no oddity in the act, but the actual kiss was almost worse than the fall.

She didn't even seem offended at his rapid retreat, simply staring at him, having not even blinked during the whole process. Briefly, he wondered if that short contact was enough or if she'd try again, but soon, his unspoken question was answered as he shouted in pain, his right hand moving to grip his left wrist as pain shot through his body, centered on that joint.

It was as if his entire left arm was on fire, his nerves all lighting up as once as the runes ᚷᚢᚾᛞᛟᛚᚠ carved themselves into the top of his left hand

He clutched his wrist with his right hand, staring as the runes ᚷᚢᚾᛞᛟᛚᚠ were burned into the skin of his left hand. He probably shouted a curse when it happened, but it was so intense that, despite it finishing and the pain vanishing in less than a second, he had no concept of the world around him, his mind focusing exclusively on that pain before it left, leaving him to flop to his side, curled up as his eyes remained wide, the air cold as he'd begun sweating.

 _At least it's over now…_ he thought, internally laughing at himself. _Who am I trying to convince? It's barely started..._


	3. The Silencing Spell

**Song Used: "American Pie" - Don McLean**

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" **Shut up, you stupid familiar!** " Louise shouted as David gleefully sang as loudly as he possibly could, running around the girl's room so she couldn't get to him. The room was small and narrow, but it was easy enough to get around her, running between the bed and the wall and jumping over to the other side when she followed and pushing the two-person couch situated to the side out to trip her.

As intended, her shin smashed into the furniture, and she cursed loudly, hopping as she held her leg before continuing on the chase.

"Bye, bye, Miss American Pie! Drove my Chevy to the levee but the levee ran dry, and these good old boys drinking whiskey and rye, singing 'This'll be the day that I die!'" Such a memey song, but one that he enjoyed singing, and it was the perfect combination of loud tone and confusing lyrics to work as a distraction, along with the fact that she had no idea what he was saying any more than he understood her. He had a feeling that the mage would definitely agree with that last verse if she understood what he was saying, but for some reason, right now he was in a very good mood, good enough that he was willing to antagonise the mage he knew could literally explode at any second.

" **I am going to send you through the window if you don't shut your stupid mouth, you dog! And then I'll make you repair the window!** "

 _I don't even need to speak the language to know what she's saying…_ he thought, smirking to himself. The girl wasn't exactly the most clever of people, even without understanding her he could still glean information from the tone of her voice, and no doubt whatever choice insult she'd given him was nigh-incomprehensible even if they did share a tongue. He continued singing, making sure that she couldn't reach him with the riding crop she held in the hand not already wielding her wand. He didn't want to feel that crop, and though he did intend to keep a semblance of the original plot, that didn't mean he had to completely bow to her will like the main character had...Though he had enough willpower to deal with some of it, and there were a few instances that did in fact have to happen as they originally did, just to keep the sanctity of the canon storyline until he figured out a way home.

"Now for ten years we've been on our own, and moss grows fat on a rollin' stone. But that's not how it used to be, when the jester sang for the king and queen in a coat he borrowed from James Dean and a voice that came from you and me…"

" **Shut up!** " Louise screamed, holding up her wand and pointing it at him. " **Be silent! Æs...Aah!** " He briefly looked back as she tripped on a sheet lying on the ground from the bed, briefly stumbling before growling, pointing her wand at him again. " **Seriously, you're annoying! Founder, Silence!** "

David knew what the spell was supposed to do, but he braced himself for what he knew it would actually do...self-destruct, as all of her spells tended to do.

He predicted an explosion, and he got one, launching him into the knightstand behind him, his breath once again being knocked from his body. Seriously, it seemed everything in this world was designed specifically to mess with his breathing.

He groaned, coughing as the room filled with smoke. His ears were ringing, but he could still hear Louise shouting in anger, though oddly enough, even though he was now sitting on a bed of scattered papers and wood boards coughing up a storm while he regained his breath, he still felt in high spirits, as if nothing could go wrong. Indeed, so far it really hadn't, he'd escaped the biggest hurdle now and only had to get launched into the wall to do so. Who knew, perhaps it was just the runes making him feel happier than he really was.

He grabbed the collar of his hoodie, a plain black one with two medium-thickness fabric layers as the morning forecast had called for a colder day than was actually received, and held it to his nose, breathing through the fabric so he wouldn't inhale too much smoke...he didn't want any sort of disease from smoke inhalation, though he knew Saito had never had that problem...but anime logic is not the same as real logic, and he didn't want to take chances after he was already having slight lung problems.

When the dust cleared, after Louise had gotten over her coughing fit, she glared at the newly-made familiar. "Good, now be silent!" she said, and David smiled under the collar of his hoodie, now able to understand her...exactly as had happened in the anime. It was strange how accurate it seemed to be, he'd have expected at least some variation, but so far it was very close to what he remembered. Maybe this would be easier after all, he just had to get past the initial bit of repeatedly getting himself hurt, then he'd be home free. Definitely a plan that could not in any way go awry.

"Well sorry for wanting to sing!" he retorted. "I have a lot of energy!" Kind of a lie, in reality he was hardly motivated by anything, but he had to make an excuse that wouldn't make it obvious he was expecting the spell to backfire.

"Wait…" Louise said, staring at him. "I understand you now!"

"And I understand you!" David said, changing his tone to sound like he was surprised...which he actually sort of was. He knew what the spell _would_ do, but he didn't really expect it to _actually_ do it. It was weird...but it worked, and he couldn't complain. Crossing the language barrier was the most major, absolutely necessary part of returning home...Though he had to admit that he also simply enjoyed messing with the pinkette. "Now where am I and what is going on?!" David asked, standing up and dusting the particles off of his clothes, creating a miniature dust cloud that settled to the ground as he sighed, holding a hand to his chest to make sure he wasn't too injured. He didn't feel any pain from pressing down, so he's probably be alright.

Louise pointed at him. ""I am Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière, and I am now your master. Those runes on your hand prove that you are my familiar."

David internally groaned. _I really wish I didn't have to deal with her...but Saito had to. I'll have to bear with it until I can get out of here...if I remember correctly, it shouldn't be long, if I play my cards right._ Having to rely on the canon was not a fun thought, especialy considering certain events, but he had no idea if it was even possible to get out without following it. Best to follow the only guide he had and hope that things worked out.

He looked at his hand, the runes naming him Gandalfr etched into his skin. He cringed in memory of the pain he'd felt when they formed, but luckily, they now rested painlessly on his hand. He hoped they would remain that way.

"I'm not a dog. I'm human, my name is David James Wilson." he said. He knew she wouldn't care, but he still wanted to establish that he was not as subservient as Saito tended to be...even though he knew he'd need to act as if he was for the time being.

"I don't care.." Louise stated flatly. "You are a familiar, you do not have the rights a human does, even if you are a commoner." She pointed at a corner. "You can sleep there." she said, and David glanced at the pile of hay.

He stared for several seconds, before glancing at the bed. "That bed has enough space for two people." he said.

Louise growled. "Yes, it does...but it does not have enough space for a familiar!" she said. "You can sleep there, and you will not disobey me!" She held up the riding crop. "And I think you can guess what will happen if you do."

David sighed, before yawning inadvertently. It was later than he'd thought, and his mental exhaustion and repeated minor injuries over the last few hours was affecting his body now. Now, he was too tired to argue, and knowing that he had little choice but to follow canon right now, he didn't really want to test the waters and fight back. If it became necessary then he'd stand his ground, but one night on the floor to keep her from outright killing him couldn't hurt, and he preferred a night of discomfort over being attacked with a spell that was acutally meant to deal damage.


	4. Planning for the Future

**Song Used: Oración, from Pokemon: Rise of Darkrai**

* * *

Sleeping on the floor was awful. David regretted not arguing further, because now, his back hurt and he was exhausted from spending most of the night trying to find a comfortable position to lay in. That wasn't even considering the cold, which was at least somewhat bearable thanks to his hoodie and jeans.

He glanced over at the still-sleeping form of the girl who he had been contracted to, and squinted as the morning sunlight came in through the window on the other side of her bed. He had woken up at the crack of dawn, his discomfort from sleeping proving too much for him to get a decent amount of sleep, and evidently, he'd woken before her.

 _She's...not that bad, when she's asleep._ he thought, before shaking his head. _That'll probably change as soon as she's awake._

He sat up, stretching out the stiffnesss of his joints, before glancing over to his guitar case, which rested next to his backpack on the wall beside the door. He'd opted not to use the guitar during his little American Pie session, not wanting to risk it being damaged by the crazed mage, but now...it shouldn't hurt to practice a little before she woke up.

He walked over to the case, unclasping it and opening it to reveal the instrument. He smiled, just looking at it for several seconds, before taking it out by the neck. He sat down cross-legged, resting the body in his lap and holding his fingers on the frets. With no one around that was awake to listen, he could check to make sure everything sounded fine after the fall he'd taken yesterday.

He started to play, softly pulling the strings, letting it go quiet and long with each note. This was his rendition of Oración, his personal favorite song, and it was filled with soft tones and bass notes...which translated to the thicker strings on the guitar, the instrument sounding perfectly fine as even the typically messed up string was working well.

He became completely engrossed in his playing, hardly aware of the world around him as he hummed the melody along with his finger movements.

His thoughts melted away with each vibration of the strings, until there was nothing left of the world but him and his guitar. He let the events of the last day wash away, let himself ignore the host of problems that had already surfaced themselves. His runes did not exist in this world. Louise did not exist in this world. Magic did not exist in this world.

This world was his domain. A land of nothing but pure sound, where vision did not matter and where nothing left a mark. It was in this world that David found his peace, where he wished he could live forever

This was the biggest reason why he kept it so close to him for so long. His life was normally boring, a humdrum series of repetitive events that didn't particularly interest him. Being given this guitar by his grandfather had sparked his discovery of the world within his mind, which only existed when his hands were laid on the now-familiar wood frame and steel strings.

It was in this world that David could ignore external stimuli and escape to his thoughts so he could decide what to do now.

He would need to come up with a plan. There was no chance he could get away with running around like a chicken with its head cut off, or else he'd self-destruct just like one of Louise's spells.

In this world of music and music alone, he could think clearly. Here, where nothing existed, he could see what would come out if he made certain decisions.

He needed an ally, someone with political power and who trusted Saito and knew Louise. Obviously, they had to be a decent person rather than an arrogant bastard like Guiche de Gramont. Someone like…Henrietta.

In this world where his body didn't matter, he smiled. Of course. Henrietta de Tristain, the current princess, and later, queen, of the country he now found himself in.

If he could get on her side as early as possible, he would be able to execute the plan that was now forming in his mind. He had the knowledge of the future here, and with Henrietta's power, he would be able to manipulate events towards his goal. He'd still need to be somewhat close to the path he was familiar with or else things would snowball out of proportion, but he should at least be able to get out of the loop in some points. He wasn't going to be here too long, so there wasn't a major concern with changing events far into the future. No need to be super strict on the plan, but he still needed to focus on getting all the correct interactions early on, just in case. He didn't need to get on the wrong side, whether friend or foe, before he was ready.

A tall order, and he wasn't certain that Henrietta would be enough to accomplish what he was planning...but he had to minimize the amount of people who would be aware of his advance knowledge, and the list of people he could trust was very small.

Louise was disqualified immediately. Unstable, awful at magic, and completely unaware of her status as a void mage...not to mention that she would start abusing him as soon as she woke up. He wouldn't be able to avoid that riding crop forever, no matter how serious he got. He didn't want to hurt her after all.

Other than her, there weren't many people that Saito met early who would be useful. Kirche would blab everything immediately if he told her, and she wasn't even Tristainian...useless for anything later on, not to mention her bad relationship with Louise, who despite not being an ally he'd still need to get on her good side to keep his living conditions somewhat good.

Tabitha was a Chevalier and honestly one of his favorite characters in the show, but again, not Tristainian, and he had no idea how to help her with her family situation yet, not to mention that he had no idea how she'd react if he told her he could see the future.

Siesta...not much a maid could do, even if she was a likeable person. He'd befriend her but she was otherwise useless.

It was self-explanatory why Guiche was out, along with a handful of other students. Henrietta was the only one left, and he knew he'd be able to meet her soon, within the next few days, thanks to the Familiar Exhibition.

He cringed involuntarily. He was getting too into this. He was thinking too far ahead, as far as the end of the final season...and he didn't have any intention of staying for the battle with Albion's fleet at the end of the first season. Nope, as soon as he had his hands on the Zero fighter and a solar eclipse happened, he was out of there. His parents were probably worried sick, and he missed them too...and Earth was so much safer than this nightmare of caste systems and medieval-era magic.

He felt a little bad leaving the people here to fend for themselves, but while he'd have liked to help them and serve as the protagonist in one of his favorite series, he didn't want to get involved. He was a resident of Earth, not here...and who knows how things have changed already by simply having a different person summoned.

His melody drew to a close, and his mind swam back into consciousness, becoming aware once again of the world around him as his playing slowed, plucking each string once, starting with the lower cords and going up as the final crescendo of the song. The original piano version had many more notes to afford...but he had learned to deal with that.

He sighed, smiling to himself as he looked down at his guitar, before blinking, suddenly becoming aware of someone in front of him.

Louise was there, wearing her night clothes and squatting a few feet in front of him, hands on her knees and eyes fixated on his. She had an intense expression on her face, as if she was trying to read into his soul.

"Um...Hello." he said, laughing nervously, removing a hand from the fretboard and rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, I just figured I'd get some practice in while you were asleep...I didn't realize you'd woken up."

Louise didn't respond for several seconds, before pointing a finger at the guitar. "What is that instrument?" she asked. "I have never heard something so…" She seemed at a loss for words, before shaking her head. "You are very good with it." she finally said.

David smiled at the compliment, though he was surprised she even knew how to give one. He held up the guitar with both hands, showing it off to her. "It's called a guitar. It's an instrument from my world."

Louise blinked. "Your...world?" she asked, and he nodded.

 _Better act like I didn't know already._ "I was awake most of the night because I couldn't get to sleep on this hard ground, so I did some thinking. Looked out the window, thought about magic and stuff like that. My world is called Earth. We only have one moon...and it looks silver, not blue and red."

"One moon?!" Louise asked, before shaking her head. "Impossible."

"Then explain my guitar?" he pointed out, and internally chuckled when Louise stuttered as she tried to come up with an explanation. It was slightly surprising that she'd _never_ heard of similar instruments, but if it worked then whatever.

"Beca...Uh...Well...Anyway!" she said, avoiding the question, and standing up holding her arms over her head, closing her eyes.

David stared at her. "...What are you doing?" he asked. He knew already, but his reaction was genuine...she looked like an idiot, standing there like that. _God, she really is pathetic. Seriously, what was she taught that made her think this was appropriate behavior?_

"Dress me." Louise ordered. "My clothes are on the table."

David raised an eyebrow. "Can you not dress yourself? Who dressed you before I got here?"

Louise made an annoyed face. "You're my familiar, so it's your duty to dress me." she replied with a tone of finality, as if that was a totally normal thing to say.

 _Flawless logic there, Louise. Do you also think Flame or Verdandi dress their masters…?_ David thought. "Are you sure you want a human boy taking your clothes off?" he asked. _I know I don't want to be anywhere near your underwear._

"That doesn't matter. You're not a human, you're just a dog." she replied. "Now dress me, or I'll whip you!" Her tone was sharp, but her face and the pose she was in made her sound like a squeaky toy trying to bark orders at him, and he inwardly smirked as he presssed a hand to his knee to stand. It wouldn't hurt to avoid the riding crop again, and her expression was just funny enough that he could tolerate the process if only to laugh at her behind her back. Besides, he couldn't _really_ complain at undressing a girl, even if she was basically an annoying child. Technically she was 17 so it wasn't too cringy to think about anyway.

So, with that note of personal fulfillment in the back of his mind, he relented. "Fine, fine…" he said, setting his guitar back into its case and spending a couple seconds hooking the clasps together. He stood up and walked to the table to pick up her school uniform. _Let's do this quickly before I start thinking about it too much…_


	5. Meet the Maid

_Never again_. David thought as he followed Louise to the cafeteria hall for breakfast. _Never again do I want to go so close to a half-dressed female._

In any other situation, he'd have considered himself lucky. Most guys never get to be in that situation with someone they barely know, and Louise was admittedly cute..but she was also Louise. Her toxic personality and rigid beliefs made her a dangerous person to be near even when she was fully clothed...and the red gash on David's cheek showed how easily she could be ticked off.

He couldn't avoid that crop forever, he knew that...but it still stung when he felt it for the first time. Oh, well, it would heal quickly and he'd been fully prepared not to have a perfect track record.

 _I can handle this, but having no food afterwards is not something I'll let slide._ he thought. No reason to starve just because he was trying to follow canon.

At the cafeteria, Louise walked to a seat that she obviously went to every day, pointedly ignoring the frantic waving of Kirche von Zerbst several seats down, a motion he hadn't expected considering the relationship the two had. Well, then again, he didn't expect everything to be perfectly aligned to before anyway, and he honestly didn't remember this scene very well so maybe he simply had forgotten a detail.

David glanced over at the tanned Germanian, smiling at her before turning his attention to the girl whose hair was almost the same shade of blue as the sky silently reading a book next to her. Of course Tabitha would be with her, the two were inseparable.

A quick glance around the room and he was able to pick out most of the students he recognized from the show, plus a few vague side characters he didn't know much about.

As Louise sat down, he made to sit next to her. He knew that she wouldn't allow him to, but he had to play the role of the clueless Saito...and hey, if she didn't notice and he was able to sit here, all the better.

No such luck. Before he could sit down, she pulled the seat from under him, and he collapsed to the ground, flailing his arms behind him to catch himself.

And now he was tired, his spine hurt, and he was annoyed. Brilliant.

"Hey, what was that for?!" he asked angrily, sitting up and rubbing his tailbone.

"You can sit on the floor." Louise said. "Familiars don't get to eat at the table."

"I'm human too!" David protested, and as if from thin air, the riding crop appeared in Louise's hand, pointed at him threateningly. "Then what am I supposed to eat?"

"Um...hello." came a soft voice from beside him, and he looked to the source. The maid he knew as Siesta stood there, a somewhat forced smile on her face.

David stared, having to actually stop himself from smiling. Siesta was a likable person, but right now, he had to pretend he didn't know her. It wasn't hard, he already severely doubted he'd ever like Louise, even if she was slightly less abusive than she had been at the start of the anime...not that that's saying much.

Louise turned her gaze to the maid, pointing rudely at her. "You, bring a bowl for him. And maybe some bread, or whatever else you give to familiars."

The maid blinked, frowning briefly before her face returned to its fixed expression. "Familiars possessing any obvious degree of sentience receive the same treatment as humans. So...He is allowed to sit at the table…" She turned to the boy, who couldn't help but smile, turning to grin smugly at Louise as he stood up, getting back in the chair and scooting it forward. Siesta's kindness was obvious throughout the series, the complete antithesis to Louise, and though it was a change that took him by surprise, it wasn't one he really minded. "Er...I'm Siesta, by the way, mister..."

David sighed, rubbing his temples with his hands as if to calm himself down. "Hi, Siesta." he said. "I'm David Wilson."

"Quiet, dog, I'm sick of hearing your voice." Louise said, and he glared at her. Siesta simply put on a forced smile, clearly not happy with how the mage was treating him. "Fine, you can sit here, but you're limited in what you can eat. You need to be reminded who your master is, even if the rules say you're technically human." What a jerk.

"Well...I have to go now, it was nice meeting you, Mr. David." Siesta said, bowing, before quickly turning around and walking away.

David watched her leave, sighing. _If only she was my master, I might could handle being here longer than I have to._ he thought, before shaking his head and looking at the table, where food had already been laid out. Oddly enough, it wasn't as much as he'd expected, though it was certainly more than was normal in his world. Then again, there were a lot of people and this was no doubt high quality, though before he could reach for anything, the pinkette shoved a plate in front of him.

It contained little of the selection available, just a bit of what seemed to be beef stew and a chunk of bread along with some random clear drink that, based on the smell, was probably not water.

Internally he laughed at the meager portion she'd given him. Evidently Louise didn't really understand what "limited" meant, because despite her plate being stuffed to the brim with various different things, his own still had plenty for his appetite. It made sense that the nobility ate a lot, but maybe life wasn't so bad for a commoner if this was what they considered small. Plus he really liked beef stew, so this 'punishment' was a treat.

He picked up the piece of bread, dipping it in the stew before taking a small bite out of it, and his eyes widened. _Hey...this is actually pretty good…_ he thought, and before he realized it, he'd already eaten the entire thing, ignoring the look of surprise on Louise's face as he went for the drink to wash it down.

His eyes widened and he coughed as it burned his throat, spitting it back into the cup and holding his hand to his chest to handle the burning sensation. "What...What is this?"

The girl grinned, a sadistic expression that she seemed relieved to be able to make. "A corrosive tonic. You looked too happy to be here so I thought you needed a wake up call."

He blinked in surprise, looking into it as she raised her wand, quietly chanting something as the water briefly changed color before settling back to normal. "There, now it's safe to drink. Just remember that I can change it back at any time."

"Louise, is this how you treat your familiar?" asked a teasing voice, and David glanced at her, knowing already who it was. Kirche grinned, crossing her arms underneath her breasts in a pose that didn't really have its intended effect on the annoyed familiar, who by now had gotten over his cough but still glared at the pinkette. "Honestly, treating a cute boy like a criminal...it's pitiful."

"Zero." stated Tabitha, not even looking up from her book. The Gallian clearly wasn't comfortable being around everyone in the room, but the wish to be around Kirche evidently overpowered her desire to be alone...though she still spoke very little, as David expected.

Louise didn't even glance in her direction. "If you want to bug someone, go do it somewhere else, von Zerbst." she said. "I'm not interested."

Kirche bent over, giving David a very clear view of her cleavage. "And where did that gash come from?" she asked, before blinking and opening her mouth in realization. "Oh, I almost forgot. It is nice to meet you, familiar. I am Kirche von Zerbst...also known by my _runic name_ , Fever. And what is your name?" She stressed the expression 'runic name', probably to show that she was in fact talented enough to have one.

David looked at her. He didn't hate Kirche, but he didn't really like her either...She was just too much for any guy, to put it simply. "David." he said, not bothering to say his last name since he knew Louise would just cut him off again.

Kirche nodded. "David...an odd name." she mused.

"I guess so." _Yeah, in this world maybe it is...in mine it's very common._

Kirche nodded, before standing and motioning to Tabitha, who she'd forgotten about while she talked. "And this is my best friend, Tabitha!" she said. "Tabitha de...Orleans?" She looked to her friend for confirmation, and the quiet girl slowly nodded.

"Nice to meet you, Tabitha." David said, nodding. He smiled awkwardly as she didn't even look up from her book, remaining silent for several seconds before giving a short reply.

"Likewise." she said simply, before turning to walk away. Through the entire meeting, David doubted that she'd even glanced at him...not that he really expected her to, considering who she was.

~~~Later~~~

"So, do you have class today?" David asked, following behind Louise as they walked through the academy commons. "I mean….this place is obviously a school, I'd imagine you have classes."

Louise shook her head. "No, today we're supposed to bond with our familiars." she replied. "But I'd rather not listen to you any longer than I have to, so you can just sit around out here while I go back to the room."

She motioned to the group of miscellaneous odd animal species. "Go over there, I'll get you when I feel like it." she said, before walking away.

David sighed, watching her leave. _I'll take any opportunity to get away from you, don't worry about that._ he thought as he walked over to the group.

He sat down next to Sylphid, the large blue rhythm dragon looking down at him, cocking her head curiously. He grinned and waved to her. "Hello, Irukukwu." he said. "I'm David."

Sylphid reared her head back, warbling in surprise, and he laughed. "Sorry, too personal?" he asked. "Guess it isn't that great to call you by your native name, is it, Sylphid?" He crossed his legs and held his thighs with his hands, rocking on his behind idly. "What's it like being Tabitha's familiar? Bet it's nice."

After getting over her initial surprise, Sylphid lowered her head, and he smiled, lightly patting the space at the top of her snout. She made a purring sound at his touch, and he chuckled. "I like you, Sylphid." he said. "Calm and collected all the time, much nicer than the explosive loli."

A sound like a frog's croak came from his other side, and when he looked, he found the salamander Kirche had summoned. He smiled and held his hand out. "Hello, Flame." he said. "How are you?"

The fire lizard ran his head under David's palm, closing his eyes to let the sensation take over, and David smiled in return. _This is nice...I never imagined my best friends would be the other familiars._

His smile dropped as he heard the already-familiar voice of the two-timing blonde known as Guiche de Gramont, running to catch up to some girl who was decidedly not Montmorency...and judging by her uniform, she was probably a first-year.

"I am sorry, Kelly!" Guiche said, as overdramatic as ever. "I am late, but I promise that I did not forget your face for a second!" He swished his hand along his forehead to enunciate his tone, and David could swear he could see sparkles coming from the arrogant noble.

He sighed. He'd watch the interaction, but only because he wanted reference material to tease Guiche about it later...he needed to get the noble to challenge him to a duel so he could show off the Gandalfr's power, after all. Even if he wasn't particularly interested in getting himself hurt, that was one thing that he absolutely could not mess up, even if it meant getting knocked unconscious for a few days. He cringed at the thought of it, but he would handle it when the time came. After all, this was to show himself as a strong fighter under the runes' effect.

Oddly enough, Guiche was one of his favorite side characters. He was an idiot and a playboy, but he was entertaining, if nothing else. David couldn't imagine the show without him, to be completely honest.


	6. The Duel

David had all but given up on Louise coming back to get him, having spent hours sitting around making one-way conversation with the other familiars. They weren't bad company, in fact, they were the nicest characters he'd met other than Siesta...even Flame, who he knew would probably be dragging him around a few days later. Still, he had a clear favorite in Sylphid, who acted exactly as he'd expected her to after seemingly forgetting about his referring to her by her real name earlier.

But now, he had to get ready for the next event, so he stood up, holding his palms to his knees to support himself. "Time to get started." he said to himself, waving to the familiars who'd ended up surrounding him. "I'll see you around, okay?"

Sylphid, the only one with a flexible neck, nodded at him, while Flame and Verdandi, among the others whose names never actually were mentioned, just blinked to show they acknowledged what he'd said.

He grinned and walked away from them, heading toward the group of tables that had been set outside for the lunch hour. It was odd realizing that he'd waited that long, but it wasn't like there was anything else to do when Louise wouldn't even acknowledge his presence, assuming she hadn't simply forgotten about him.

Even though, according to Siesta, he was to be treated just as any other human, he still wasn't entirely sure nobody would stop him from eating here, since after all, human or not he was not a noble, so he simply swiped a couple bread rolls, eating them as he casually strolled around the area, going nowhere in particular. By the time he had nearly finished his food, he felt something hit his side and turned to face a short blonde-haired girl, who had accidentally slapped him with one of her hair drills as she stomped past. "Where is that idiot?" she grumbled, and he smirked.

 _There she is._ "Hey, Montmorency, right?" he asked, stopping his walk. He turned around, finding her glaring at him over her shoulder. Even though he wasn't involved, he couldn't help but flinch at the expression on her face...The girl could be a true monster when she got jealous, that was for sure. "Looking for Guiche?"

"...You're the Zero's familiar, right?" she asked, and he sighed, nodding. "Have you seen him?"

David grinned at the question, showing no hesitation as he pointed out the arrogant boy standing near the girl from earlier. Kelly, if he recalled correctly. She didn't look familiar, but then again, the girl didn't matter, just the act itself. "Yes, I saw him over there...with that first-year."

Montmorency was there in a second, and David held a hand to his mouth to stifle a laugh as she started yelling at the unfortunate boy.

Not that he didn't deserve it, there was little doubt that he was the instigator here, even if he didn't already know how Guiche was.

"Trying to pick up another girl?!" Montmorency shouted, and Kelly stared at him in shock.

"You said I was the only one!" Even with the exclamation, the first-year's voice was meek, and she backed off quickly as she became aware of what was going on here.

"Why do you always have to do this?" Montmorency asked, her voice laced with venom as Guiche backed up, holding his hands defensively in front of him, his eyes rolling around in an effort to find something he could use to help him. "Why can't you just stop with this? Is there any girl in the academy yet that you haven't tried to woo?"

"Probably Ms. Chevreuse." David said under his breath, a grin over his face that, as intended, marked him as a target in the noble's eyes.

"You, familiar!" he shouted, accusingly pointing a rose he'd somehow procured at the familiar. "You caused these two beautiful women to cry!"

David had to laugh at the desperate face Guiche had on. "What did I do?" he asked. "Seems like it's your fault, I'm just standing over here minding my own business"

"David!" shouted Louise, finally showing up after doing who knows what since she'd abandoned him. "What are you getting yourself into? Apologize to him, right now!"

"Why should I?" David said, giving up completely on holding in his laughter. It was just too hilarious, getting to see Guiche's failures in person.

"That is it!" Guiche said. "I am challenging you to a duel, familiar!"

Louise's eyes widened. "Duels are prohibited on school grounds without a teacher's permission!" she exclaimed, but Guiche shook his head.

"Duels between _nobles_ are prohibited, but there is nothing about challenging a mere commoner!" he said. "He's not even a staff member, there's nothing he's doing otherwise!

"I'll accept." David said, standing tall in front of Louise, his face lit with excitement. Yes, he'd be getting hurt here, but it was a chance to test out his new runes, and he had to admit that he was very curious. This wasn't something just anyone could try out after all.

"David!" Louise said, and he held his hand out to stop her, a determined look on his face.

"Louise, I'm not backing down." he said. "You nobles have your honor, I have mine. Mine is not for my country or for glory, I have neither of those in this world. My honor is personal. I won't back down from a challenge, no matter what."

David internally laughed at his words. _Man, this is kind of stupid...I'm not motivated at all by anything. I don't have any honor whatsoever, no matter how cool I might have just sounded. But hey...Saito did it, so I have to as well. For the sake of plot progression!_

By now, they'd drawn a crowd, and Louise gave up trying to stop him, knowing that he wasn't planning on giving into the arrogant noble from the tone of his voice. Of course, David could ask for a sword, but that would both reveal that he knew Guiche's abilities and make it difficult to predict the course of the duel. He could change certain things about how Louise treated him, but it was simply too dangerous to risk changing this step. This is where he'd show off Gandalfr to the world after all.

Guiche smiled, facing David, his rose out and ready to use his particular brand of magic. "You can apologize now and give up before you get hurt. I am a reasonable person, I won't go through with this if you forfeit." he said, and David grinned.

"Sounds to me like you're just looking for a way out of this...don't know if you can actually beat me, do you?" he taunted, and Guiche glared, before swishing the rose in the air.

"Valkyrie!" A single petal fell from the wand, and when it connected with the ground, a metallic golem appeared, summoned by his magic. "I am Guiche de Gramont, also known as Guiche of the Bronze! I challenge you!"

"And I'm David Wilson. Don't have any nickname. I accept your challenge." He knew where the Valkyrie would be coming from, but he hadn't been prepared for the speed it ran at, and by the time he realized it had moved, it had already jammed a metal fist into his stomach.

His eyes widened in surprise, and he made a choked sound at the unexpectedly strong attack, collapsing to the ground and clutching his stomach in a vain effort to lessen the pain from the attack. _Jesus Christ, that hurt way more than I thought!_

It would be nice if he could just give up now, but even if this wasn't for the sake of making sure things run properly, he still couldn't just surrender. Personal pride told him to at least stand up again.

Guiche's arrogant laugh cut through the pain, and he inadvertently grit his teeth. Something about the mage was really ticking him off...maybe he was more like Saito than he thought he was.

"And that's it. Didn't take long, as expected." He turned around, but stopped when he heard David shuffling to sit on his knees, still holding his stomach with a hand.

"I'm not down yet." he said. _God, this hurts._ "Like I said...I don't back down from a challenge, especially not after just one attack."

Guiche stared, before smirking. "Well...I am an honorable person. I will give you a chance." he said, and his wand arced through the air again. "Ger. Nyd. Construct."

A petal fell in front of David, and a thin sword with a green hilt appeared in front of him.

David smirked. _Finally._ he thought, grabbing onto the sword with both hands.

The runes ᚷᚢᚾᛞᛟᛚᚠ on his hand glowed, and he blinked, eyes widening. _Wow...it really does take all my pain away._ he thought in surprise, before standing up, wielding the sword in his right hand. _I'm left-handed...but this feels more right. Cross dominance is weird._

He grinned at Guiche. "Alright...I'm ready." he said, holding the sword in front of him.

He slashed at the golem, cutting it half in one strike, his runes glowing brightly as he did so, and Guiche's mouth dropped in surprise.

"W-What?!" he asked incredulously. "You were just on the ground!" He threw his rose again, summoning five more Valkyries as he called the attack out.

David grinned. Now that Gandalfr was working properly, the Earth mage's golems were no match for him. Within a few strokes, they were all destroyed, and he jumped at the source, holding the sword as if he was going to beat Guiche in the head with the pommel.

He didn't need to, as the noble collapsed to the ground, the look of shock on his face evident. "H-How did you do that?!" Guiche asked, staring up at him.

David laughed. "I win." he said, pointing his sword down at the one who'd challenged him.

Guiche waved his hands defensively. "I yield! I yield!" he cried, backing up across the ground as his rose disappeared into his uniform.

David smiled, dropping the sword to the ground, and the crowd that had gathered around them cheered. _Noble being beaten by a commoner. Yay, special._ he thought exhaustedly, grinning as he collapsed.

"David!" Louise shouted, running up to him as she just barely caught him on her shoulder before he could hit the ground. "You idiot, what were you thinking?!" She blinked. "Huh? He's asleep…"

It was true. Just like with Saito, all of his fatigue from the fight left David drained, and he had passed out almost the instant his runes had stopped glowing.


	7. Commoner King

Principal Osmond looked up from his desk as he heard a knock on the door. "Come in." he said, his raspy voice betraying his age, if the long wiry white hair stuck to his head and flowing in a long beard didn't already make it obvious that he was past his prime.

The doorknob turned, and the door practically slammed open with a squeaking sound, the heavy wood still weighing down on the hinges despite how often this door had been used, and the bald instructor who had been present during the Summon Servant ritual almost ran in, carrying his wand, a large cylindrical staff with red rings placed here and there along its length behind him as he cradled an open book in his other arm. He had an urgent expression on his face, as if he'd found something gravely important in his research. Behind him stood the green-haired secretary to the principal, a young woman of about 25 years of age.

"Sir!" Colbert said, but was stopped by the old man holding a hand up. The room went silent for several seconds, before a small squeak, low to the ground below Osmond's desk, could be heard.

A small white mouse crawled up his robes, sitting itself down on his shoulder and standing up, using his beard as a handhold to reach its head to his ear. He tilted to the mouse, holding a finger to affectionately rub its head.

"Welcome back, Chuchu." he said. "What color are they today?" The last part he said in a whisper, directed specifically at the mouse.

A few squeaks, and he nodded, evidently understanding it. His eyes crinkled in a smile, though his mouth was hidden under the mass of hair making up his beard. "Oh, those green striped ones! I like those."

His secretary, Longueville, made a squeaking sound, much like the mouse in the hallway, holding the lower part of her dress between her legs with both hands.

She grit her teeth. "Perverted old man." she grumbled, though she didn't directly complain...this was common behavior for the principal, and she couldn't really do anything to stop it.

"In any case," Osmond said, lifting his head to face Colbert again. "Jean, I rarely see you so urgently bursting forth into my office. What seems to be troubling you?"

Colbert nodded, resting his staff on the desk, and after checking to make sure it wouldn't fall, took the book and practically slammed it onto the wood, the desk making a creaking sound under the urgency of his movement. He quickly flipped a few pages, before pointing at an image. It was a set of runes, shaped like ᚷᚢᚾᛞᛟᛚᚠ.

Osmond looked over the image. "Gundolf…" he mused, before looking at Colbert. "What is the importance of this page?"

Colbert nodded. "I believe that these are the runes that were etched into Louise de la Valliere's familiar's hand." he said. "I knew there was something strange about that shape...Gundolf, also known as Gandalfr...one of the four legendary symbols!"

Osmond took the book into his wrinkled hands and looked it over. "The Left Hand of God, able to manipulate any item created for combat…" He pulled at his beard in thought. "Continue researching this. If this is indeed true, and that boy is indeed one of the legendary familiars...Then it is possible that the lost element is beginning to awaken as well."

Colbert nodded, taking the book back and taking hold of his staff again. "This could be an enormous benefit, if we really do have a Void mage in our midst!" he said, the scientist in him growing excited.

Osmond's eyes crinkled again as he nodded.

Outside, in the hallway, Longueville grinned, light flashing across her glasses. "Yes...it could be a great benefit…" she whispered to herself. "All weapons, hm? Then that means he can control _that_ too…"

~~~Meanwhile~~~

It was a strange feeling, being for the most part ignored and then suddenly gaining some degree of popularity...just for beating arguably one of the weaker nobles in second year. David found it hard to get used to most everyone knowing his name...and it was weird how used to living here he was getting, despite having only been in this world a couple days.

Right now, he'd managed to avoid attention, going a back way on his daily walk around the inner border of the school, something he'd started doing since the day before. It was a good way to think to himself without constantly bugging Louise with his guitar playing...not that she seemed to mind. At least, she hadn't outright complained or tried to damage the instrument in any way. It was still nice to get away from her every now and then.

His stomach growled, and he sighed. He'd been essentially banned from eating for at least a day thanks to, in her words, "That stunt you pulled with Guiche", and it was starting to take effect on his appetite...not getting food after being unconscious for 3 days was certainly taking its toll. Normally he'd fight back, but it wasn't that big a deal. He could handle hunger, and he'd just steal something later anyway.

Luckily for him, he caught Siesta walking by, and when she noticed him, she waved before running towards him. "Hello, David!" she said, before opening her mouth and bowing, and he smiled. She still was the kindest person he'd met here.

"Hello, Siesta. No need to do that, I'm still a commoner despite being a familiar."

She blinked, before standing up again, grinning. "I haven't seen you for a while, I was wondering what Louise had done to you!"

David laughed. "Mostly what I did to myself…" he said, before his stomach started growling again. He grinned sheepishly, holding a hand to the front of his torso. "Eh...Sorry about that. Louise put me on a food ban for a while."

Her eyes widened. "That's no good!" she exclaimed, and looked around before grabbing his hand and running to a small group of buildings David recognized as the kitchen area.

"Woah, where are you taking me?" David asked, though he knew already, stumbling as he tried to keep up with the surprisingly agile maid, who still ran faster than him despite wearing a full dress and apron.

She didn't respond before she'd gotten them both inside and closed the door behind them.

"Marteau!" she shouted, and something clanged somewhere in the room, before a large man dressed in a chef's outfit appeared, wielding an empty pot.

"Oh, Siesta! And you!" he said, dropping the pan and wrapping an arm around David's shoulder. "What can I do for you?"

"His master isn't letting him eat, a punishment for duelling that noble." SIesta explained, not letting David get much word in.

Marteau looked at him, before laughing, and in moments, the Gandalfr was at a table, a pile of food in front of him.

David blinked, not entirely sure how he'd gotten there so quickly, but smiled, holding a hand to the back of his head. "You really didn't have to do this for me…" he said, but Marteau slapped his back and laughed in response.

"Nonsense, it's leftovers from lunch today!" he said. "I'm the head chef here, everything the nobles eat is under my command!"

David smiled. The chef really did have quite the personality...and judging from Saito's reaction, the skill to back up his pride. He took a bite out of the food in front of him, and his eyes widened.

 _Wow...I can see why everyone pigs out here._ he said, before wolfing down the rest.

His plate empty, he blinked, grinning sheepishly again. "Uh...sorry." he said. "I can't believe the students here get to eat this regularly!"

Marteau's laugh only raised in volume. "Come by any time!" he said. "We're prepared to do anything for the Commoner King!"

David grinned, before tilting his head. "'Commoner King'?" he asked, before remembering the nickname.

Marteau nodded. "A king is a strong person, and considering you're not a noble and yet stood up to one, that puts you at the top. So, Commoner King!"

David smiled. "I like the sound of that." Though hadn't the original nickname been 'Our Sword'?

 _Oh, that's right...This isn't just some vivid dream, this is real. Saito isn't here, it's me. I am Gandalfr now._


	8. Cute(ish) Louise

~~~The morning before~~~

David's vision swam as he slowly came back to consciousness, and he groaned, lying still as he tried to overcome the numb soreness filling his entire body.

He'd expected this, of course. Saito had spent three days unconscious after the duel, and David had made sure it would go as planned. He could have done more preparing, of course. He could have studied Gandalfr in Colbert's lab, or found a weapon somewhere to use in the fight...but that is not what happened in the show. He knew that it was too early to start deviating from what he knew would happen. No, before doing anything, he'd need to make contact with Henrietta.

He sat up in the bed he found himself in, grunting and holding a hand to his head. His ears were ringing, a low pounding sound that throbbed in his eardrums. It was disorienting, throwing him out of his thoughts of the duel three days before, and he sat still for several moments while the sound ran its course.

When it finally did, he shook his head and looked around, before his eyes stopped on the sleeping form of the mage who'd become his master, passed out on the desk near the bed.

He smiled. _She's not so bad when she's asleep. I might even consider her cute if I didn't know better._ he thought, before shaking his head. _If there's one thing I won't be able to replicate, it's Saito's love for her...I just can't bring myself to see her that way._

He was so deep into his thoughts that he didn't even notice Louise raising her head and looking at him, and remained unaware until she stood up and walked the few feet to him, snapping her fingers in front of his face.

He blinked, turning his eyes to face her, before grinning sheepishly. "Oh...hi." he said, and cringed at the glare she gave him...a glare that fit all too well with her permanently angry nature.

"You're asleep for three days and _that's_ your response?!" she asked, crossing her arms in irritation. "Honestly…" Her glared dropped, and she looked down. "Idiot dog. You could have died, do you realize that? Guiche isn't that strong, but he's still a mage, and you have nothing."

He smiled, rubbing the back of his head with the hand containing his runes. "Hey, I wasn't the one at fault. Guiche is a two-timing arrogant bastard, he needed to be put in his place."

Louise waved her hands. "Of course he is, but why did it have to be you to do it? You're just a pathetic dog, if you weren't so good at wielding that sword, you wouldn't have stood a chance!"

David stared at her as she ranted, and was surprised to see that she seemed on the verge of tears. It didn't escape him that this was a stronger reaction than Saito had received...in fact, there seemed to be minor changes here and there throughout the plot he remembered. Earlier, he'd missed Guiche the night before and had to change his plan to watching him at the beginning of the day. Louise had also left him with the other familiars instead of taking him to class...which he knew she'd gone to since the familiar bonding day had been the day before and certainly did not last to a second day. And now...Siesta had not come, it had been Louise waking up on her own.

Well, no matter. David wasn't worried by the changes, they were small tweaks in the timeline that he should expect with his arrival...and he still couldn't guarantee that his prior information was 100% accurate, since after all, he was going off a work of fiction. Besides, he had to acknowledge that he was doing things differently too by refusing to bow to her more demeaning commands.

"Play." Louise said, and he blinked, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Uh, what?" he asked, and she lifted her hands, struggling to hold up his fairly heavy guitar case, setting it on the bed over his legs.

"Either you play that song again, or I'll punish you. It's your choice." she said, and he blinked again in surprise.

 _Is she...What is she doing?_ he thought. _She should already have the crop out, I was fully prepared for more whippings. Why is she telling me to play again?_

Nonetheless, he took the case, unclasping it and lifting the wooden instrument from its confines. He set the mostly empty case down next to the bed, after making sure the packs of extra strings and picks and various other tidbits wouldn't fall out.

 _Oh, well. Might as well take thee chance to escape another beating, my cheek still stings from last time._ he thought as he placed his hands on the strings, ready to play Oracion again.

This time, he didn't go into his personal world of music, more curious as to how Louise would react to his playing this time. Last time, she'd been quite calm after he'd finished, and he didn't expect her to actually request it.

He began to play, strumming the strings as he always did and letting the music wash over him and tunnel his senses, though he kept himself aware enough to see Louise's reaction. He'd missed it last time, so he wanted to see it now.

Almost as soon as he hit the first note, her eyes closed, and her angry expression vanished, replaced with an oddly peaceful smile.

That smile really didn't fit her, but he definitely didn't mind it. It was much nicer doing this, playing music that she obviously liked, than being whipped repeatedly by her riding crop. Why did she even have that thing, anyway? She'd never ridden a horse before, at least that he knew.

They remained like that, with David watching her and her in a sort of trance as he played, until the song ended, though even after he'd fingered the last note, she still remained still for several seconds before gradually opening her eyes again.

Her eyes had lost the angry sheen they'd taken on before, and David released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, in relief that he'd seemingly escaped punishment.

Of course, he hadn't, and she smiled again, eyes closing in what was clearly a far too sweet expression, setting off a red flag in his mind.

"So...am I in the clear?" David asked, and she shook her head. "Um...lighter punishment?" Another shake. He sweatdropped. "Um...Full one?" She nodded, and he laughed nervously as she hummed to herself.

"I hope you don't mind starving, stupid dog!"

~~~Present~~~

"What are you doing, you disobedient dog?" Louise shouted as David sat cross-legged on the ground outside the door, refusing to follow her into the room.

 _Seriously, that insult is getting old, and it wasn't very good to begin with._ he thought, exhaling as he looked up at her.

"You banned me from eating, then got mad when I was offered help. You really didn't need to shout at Siesta like that, she was just doing her job. Seriously, you're so hypocritical."

"Breaking my commands is bad enough, but that's not the big issue here! You willfully entered servant quarters! You are the familiar of a noble, so act like it!"

"A noble who summoned me unwillingly and then ignored me for the next day, then got angry when I wanted to show a backbone against that jerk who challenged me. Do you want me to just go along with whatever you want, or be smart and actually think things through?"

"You're the familiar, the whole point is to follow my orders! Even if you don't like it!"

He nodded, crossing his arms and closing his eyes, moving his head to face downwards. "And I'm not going to do that. So, until you get yourself together and realize I'm not going to be your dog, I'm going to sit right here."

Her face puffed up in anger, before she pointed her wand at him threateningly, though she didn't try to cast anything. "You're sleeping out here even if you do crawl back to be let in. You want to defy a noble, then you'll be punished as a human."

She didn't give him a chance to respond before closing the door, locking him out as he sighed, scratching the back of his head.

In hindsight, it was not the best idea to be rebellious near nighttime, and now he couldn't even get to his guitar. Coupled with that, in Tristain, temperatures dropped quickly at night thanks to the high latitude, and out here in the hallway where the only heat source was torches on the walls, it was far more evident than inside the room warmed by insulated stone and whatever mechanism was used to heat the air.

Still, he wasn't going to turn back to her so soon. He'd show her he was serious even if it meant discomfort, even if he had to fall asleep shivering while sitting up.

"Well...it's to be expected." David said to himself, curling up with his arms around his knees to shield himself from the cold. Louise was rash by nature, there was no changing that, and he doubted things ever would be different. If anything, she'd only get worse as time went on...though there was still her odd reaction to his music.

He hadn't expected her to like his playing. He was more planning to continue using it to irritate her, as he'd done when he sang to force her into using the silencing spell on him, but if she actually enjoyed it, at least, that one song...Maybe he could still modify his plan.

Maybe it wouldn't be too bad if he changed the timeline a little more to make her less abusive. Come to think of it, her treatment of Saito didn't really affect the plot that much, since he'd been so loyal, so if he, who was less loyal by far than the other protagonist, could control her with his playing, then maybe he'd still be able to go through the plan unhindered.

He was distracted from his thoughts when he heard a shuffling, followed by the air around him growing warmer. He looked up from his position, and grinned as he saw the smooth red scales of the salamander, Flame, beside him.

He waved, his shivering dying down as the familiar's tail fire warmed the area. "Yo, Flame." he said, smiling and holding his hand out.

The salamander tilted his head in what was an attempt to nod, acknowledging him but not moving forward to accept his offer of headpats, and he nodded back, lowering his hand to his side. "So, I'm guessing you're going to take me to Kirche now, regardless of if I resist or not."

Flame nodded again in his odd reptilian way, and David nodded, grunting as he stood up to follow behind the salamander, who repeatedly wrapped his tail around his leg to ensure he was still following.


	9. Kirche the Passion

"Hey, Flame, mind stopping for a second?" David asked, and the salamander turned to look at him, croaking questioningly as he bent down to untie his shoe, waving his hand at it as it turned to face him, waiting on him to finish what he was doing. "My shoe was messed up, it's really uncomfortable to walk like that." he stated, before standing up again, having retied the lace and heading forward, the familiar scuttling close by as they continued their march.

While he was pushed around by Flame's tail and hips bumping into his calves on walk to Kirche's room, David occasionally looked around, memorizing the number of levels they were crossing on the long spiral staircase. He wasn't planning on using Kirche for his plan since she was just a side character, but there still may be something coming up that he couldn't plan for. He had no doubt that things would probably not go according to plan entirely, and he may need to make use of her powerful fire magic at some point in the future, even if she wasn't a particularly pleasant person to interact with.

He was shaken from his thoughts when Flame stopped at a door, tapping his triangular head on the wood to announce his arrival as David stepped back, anticipating the girl bursting the door open.

"Well, hello, darling!" came the excited voice of the Germanian playgirl, the door swinging inward to reveal her not-so-decent outfit.

She wore a lacy lavender nightgown that barely consisted of anything more than some frilly lingerie and a strip of fabric attached to her bra...clearly not intended for actually sleeping in.

"Kirche." he said, nodding to her as he crossed his arms, standing behind Flame as if the small reptile's tiny tail fire would protect him. "I see you're...doing well."

Kirche tilted her head, before grabbing him by his arm and pulling him in, Flame following after them, closing the door with a flick of his tail as the boy jolted from the surprisingly strong grip the girl had on his shirt.

Once inside the room, she released him from her grip, falling to lie on her bed and smiling, now sitting in what was clearly meant to be a seductive position...though David, to be completely honest, could only think of that scene from _Titanic_ and had to struggle to keep from laughing at the imagery. He'd expected at least something original...not that she'd recognize the reference, of course.

"So, why exactly am I here?" David asked, feigning ignorance, still avoiding looking directly at her. It wasn't that she had a bad figure or anything, nor was he doing it out of embarrassment. He'd been fully prepared for this, after all, and so had expected it. He was simply not willing to show her any sign of weakness. People like her pounced on weakness like a cat.

Kirche smiled, waving him over. "I've taken an interest in you." she said. "After your duel with Guiche, you really got me fired up...They don't call me Kirche the Passion for nothing."

David tilted his head. "I thought they called you Fever?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"That too. I have many names." she replied, without skipping a beat.

 _I can think of a few more names to call you right now._ he thought. _For a Triangle mage, you are really shallow._ "Yes, I suppose that makes sense...I doubt just one could describe someone of your talent."

Kirche blinked. "My talent?" she asked, and David mentally kicked himself for the slight blunder.

 _I haven't actually seen her use magic yet!_ he thought, before hesitating while he tried to come up with an excuse. "Well...You clearly are good at manipulating people." he said, nodding to her, finally turning to face her. "With your...physique?" _Wait, why am I hesitating? She loves flaunting herself!_

Kirche blinked, before smiling, sitting up and holding her weight with an elbow and forearm on the bed. "Oh? You like my-"

"Kirche!" shouted someone from the window, and her face developed an angry expression as she turned to face the random boy. "You promised that tonight would be for us-"

The poor boy was blasted away by a fireball conjured from her wand. "Now then, enough talk." she said, standing up and walking to him. "Let's-"

"Kirche!" shouted more boys, appearing at the window, and another burst of flame got rid of them. David had by now backed away several steps, heading toward the door to escape. He knew what was coming, and he didn't want to be here when Louise appeared.

Of course, he was too late. While Kirche was distracted, he had grabbed onto the doorknob, and was about to turn it when it was kicked open from the other side, sending David flying by the force of the door opening, before smashing his head into a bedpost.

How Louise possessed such a strong kick he didn't know, but right now all he could think about was the throbbing pain in his head as his vision went dizzy.

"You dog!" shouted Louise, lowering her leg as she stood in the doorframe, a look of rage on her face. "I come out of my room to check on you, and I find you with von Zerbst of all people! Shameless! Idiot!"

As she grabbed the already semi-conscious boy by the collar, shaking him as he was already limp, Kirche stared at her. "Oh, my, Zero." she said, holding a hand to her mouth in surprise. "You really don't treat him well, do you? No wonder he was so compliant when I had Flame bring him here! I'm sure he'd rather be with someone who cares about him instead of someone who beats him with every infraction!"

Louise angrily glared at her least favorite classmate. "You think you're any better? You just want him because he's the one boy in this school that you haven't screwed!"

"My my, don't judge other people's lifestyle just because you can't get with someone yourself!" Kirche teased, before pointing at the now unconscious form of Louise's familiar. "And the one boy you may have a chance with probably won't be able to tolerate you for long, if you keep doing that to him!"

Louise growled, starting to drag David out of the room. "He is completely loyal to me!" she shouted as she left. "I...hope." The last part she whispered, too quietly for Kirche to hear.

"I'm not giving up on him!" Kirche called, before Louise closed the door behind her.


	10. Derflinger

David was, in one word, bored. Louise had hidden his guitar case somewhere as punishment for getting swept up by Kirche, despite his explaining that he had no intention of going through with her plans, and there wasn't much to do but wait for the next plot point.

He was currently sitting cross-legged on the hay pile that served as his bed, arms crossed and eyes closed in concentration. _Let's see...next up should be Louise buying me Derflinger, and once I've got a hold of him, I can start preparing for my game plan._

It was annoying, waiting between points, but he acknowledged that the anime skips much of the more boring days, so naturally there would be waiting involved. Events that took hours to watch would be months in the making here.

His face blanched at the realization. "Am I going to be stuck here for that long?" he asked aloud, lowering his head and shaking it in frustration. "I don't think I can handle this place for almost a year…"

He looked up and shook his head to clear his thoughts. _No, I can do this! Once I get Henrietta involved, it should be a breeze to get to the end and get out of this place!_

He hadn't quite yet fleshed out his plan, but he had a general idea of what he would do. All he had to do was play along with the series and wait for the Familiar Exhibition.

"What are you talking to yourself for?" came the irritated voice of the pink-haired de la Valliere mage, and he sighed, rolling his eyes to face her.

She had been so quiet, laying on her bed and reading a book, that he'd forgotten that she was even there. A rare occurrence for such a loud person.

He smiled at her, holding up two fingers in a V-sign. "Oh, nothing, just thinking about my world." he said. "Ignore me, you do it pretty often anyway."

One of her eyebrows lifted as she stared at him, and she let go of her book with one hand to point at him. "That hand signal." she said. "What does it mean? Is it some sort of hidden code in your world?"

David sweatdropped. Her tone wasn't exactly hostile, but it was clear that she still didn't quite trust him...and to be fair, even on Earth, there was a variety of meanings for the V-sign.

"Well...Where I'm from, it basically just means 'I'm fine'. Does your culture not use it?" _When did that signal even come up anyway? I'll have to look it up when I get back home...if I both remember it and survive by then._

He blinked as Louise curled her fingers and stuck out her index and middle fingers, attempting to copy the hand signal. _She seems...oddly curious._ he thought. _Was she like that in the anime?_

"Anyway." Louise said, uncurling her fingers and setting her book down. "Today we're going out after class, so be ready."

David stared at her, before sighing. "Fine." he said, though internally, he was honestly excited. _Finally, I can get Derf. I wonder what it's like actually having a talking sword instead of just watching someone else with it!_

~~~After school~~~

As usual, after Louise had finished her last class, she found David with the other familiars. At some point, he'd fallen asleep, laying on Sylphid's side, with Verdandi resting on his lap. Flame evidently still felt a little bad for forcing him to go to Kirche the day before, as he sat a little farther away, curled up as he slept with his flank resting on the boy's shoe.

"Dog." she said, and David blinked, waking up quickly despite how calmly she'd said the nickname.

He blinked away sleep, looking at her, before he smiled. "Going out now, then?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Alright. Verdandi, could you get off?" he said, looking down and lightly patting the mole creature's head.

His black eyes opened and he stared at David, before his eyes closed in an expression of happy affirmation, and he slipped off of David's lap, burrowing a little into the ground so that only his head and large forearms stuck out.

David smiled at Guiche's familiar, patting his head again before standing. "Well, I'll be off. See you later, Sylphid, Flame."

Flame continued sleeping, while Sylphid just cracked an eye open to acknowledge that she's heard him. No need to disturb their sleep just to respond, after all.

As she often did, Louise grabbed David's arm and all but dragged him towards the entrance of the academy, forcing him to stumble behind her, their height difference and her speed making just a bit too difficult to catch up with her completely.

"Hey, Louise, you don't have to drag me everywhere!" he said as they started walking down the path away from the academy, and she glanced back at him, before finally letting go of his wrist.

He righted himself, finally able to walk normally, and she looked over at him. "Be honest." she said, and David's breath caught in his throat. Those two words were very dangerous for him, especially due to what he was planning.

"Uh...what is it?" he asked, trying to mask his nervousness.

She tilted her head, clearly confused as to why he was nervous. "What were you thinking when you fought Guiche?" she asked. "I mean...before you got the sword and started doing whatever it was that you were doing."

David blinked, looking up at the sky for a second before he looked back at her, choosing over his words carefully...before shrugging and just deciding to answer honestly.

"I was...surprised." he replied. "I already somewhat understood his magic...from asking around." he said, quickly making an excuse. "But I didn't realize he was so good with it. So it was a shock when he hit me so quickly, even though I normally don't have very good reflexes."

Louise nodded. "And yet you were very good with the sword, even I'm willing to admit that." she said. "So we're now going out to buy you one. You need to be able to defend yourself if you get challenged again."

David laughed. "Yeah, guess that's a good idea." _For more reasons than just that one._

She nodded, and fell silent as they walked toward the small town near the academy that he knew housed the intelligent sword he was looking for.

~~~At the shop~~~

"How much is this?" Louise asked, immediately picking up the extremely fancy gold sword that she saw walking in, and it took all of David's concentration to stop himself from facepalming.

 _That piece of crap is obviously ornamental, why would you even think that's a good idea?_ he thought, his eyes glancing around the shop before resting on the junk bin, and he internally smiled, recognizing the hilt of the sword he was really here for.

The shopkeeper looked at her, tilting his head. "100,000 ecu." he said, and her face immediately paled at the number.

"...Is there anything cheaper?" she asked, the sword lowering in her grasp as the price made it seem suddenly much heavier.

"This one seems fine." David said, pulling out the sword from the junk pile and holding it up.

Louise and the shopkeeper both stared at him. "That piece of crap?" Louise asked, annoyance in her voice. "I'm not _that_ broke! Look at it, it's all rusty!"

"Um...that one's on sale since nobody's willing to buy it." the shopkeeper said. "100 ecu."

"I'll take it!" Louise said immediately, abandoning her previous statement, and all but slammed the coins onto the desk.

The shopkeeper smiled awkwardly, laughing as he took the coins and counted them. "Thank you for your business, Miss Valliere."

She nodded, huffing as she walked out, clearly trying to make it seem like she was more haughty than she normally was...an appearance that David couldn't help but snicker at as he followed behind her.

He smiled, glancing at the sword, now set into a sheath the shopkeeper had given him along with it. "Nice to meet you, Derf. My name's David."


	11. Intelligent Sword

Back at school, David lay across the room's lone couch, Derflinger resting in his sheath on his lap. The sword had not yet awoken, and David had started getting paranoid that he'd gotten the wrong sword, so he constantly checked the hilt to make sure it had the familiar covering over the cavity that served as the sword's 'mouth'. Why Derf needed a mouth, David didn't know, but some things in this world were not meant to be explained, even though he was sort of going through the plot of the anime a second time, just this time he personally was in it.

"What are you doing now?" Louise asked, back on her bed reading her book, though this time she was dressed in her school outfit, as it was not yet late enough to change. David looked at her questioningly, and she sighed. "You keep on glancing at the sword. What's with you?"

David grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head as he looked for an excuse. "It's just that...It's weird having one. I never held a sword in my life before I came here, and now I own one."

"You've...never wielded a sword before?" she asked, blinking. "Then how were you so proficient in your duel?"

David raised his left hand, the runes facing Louise. "These glowed when I picked up the sword. I thought they were connected." Of course, they were connected and he knew it, but it was surprisingly easy to feign ignorance.

That ignorance would be quickly shed once the plan he was beginning to hatch came to fruition...but he still had an estimated episode and a half of the anime before he could do that. Right now, he just had to wait for-

The door barged open, and Kirche waltzed in. David looked away to hide his grin. That was what he was waiting for.

"Darling, I have a gift!" she said, wielding the ornamental gold sword in one hand. "Oh, did the Zero buy you one too?"

The Germanian walked over to the sword leaning on the wall, ignoring the irritated growling coming from the petite void mage.

"...That one's a piece of junk." Kirche deadpanned after David unsheathed it, holding it up to show her in the light, and he blinked as his runes began to glow, reacting to the act of holding a weapon.

"Well sorry I spent all my money on a healing potion to save his life!" Louise said, yet again sparking an argument between the two.

Of course, David was caught in the middle, both telling him to choose between the two swords, while he tried to protect himself by holding his hands in front of him, stuttering over his words as he tried to talk to both of them at once. He had to keep them busy without getting himself hurt until…

"What is all this racket as soon as I wake up?!" shouted a metallic voice, coupled with the clanging of metal pieces banging together as he felt the sword in hand vibrate under the act of speaking, and all three went silent.

"...Who said that?" Louise asked, and Kirche looked around the room for the source of the voice.

David's surprised reaction was admittedly obviously feigned, but they were too busy to notice.

"Me, you blind mages! In this boy's hand!"

They stared at it as the round piece of metal below the crossguard clanked together a few times, clearing the joint of rust that fell to the ground as dust before speaking once again, its voice much happier now that it could freely move.

"Thank you! Now what is going on?"

"Th-The sword is talking!" Louise said, pointing at it as she often did when she was surprised by something. Kirche tapped her chin with her index finger, looking at it with a strangely curious expression on her face as she hummed to herself.

"Well well, an intelligent sword...You really do find the oddest things, don't you, Louise?" she asked. "And it seems not to be a typical kind. Could this be a living weapon?"

"Intelligent sword? Living weapon?" David asked.

"Intelligent swords contain spells that can be cast autonomously. They're kind of rare but they're fairly simple to make, just not usually worth the effort. Living weapons on the other hand…" Kirche shook her head as she stood up, hands on her hips as she hummed to herself. "They're said to have their own souls...I didn't think they actually existed though."

"Of course I exist!" the sword said. "And I'm not just an intelligent sword, I am the legendary sword Derflinger!"

"Derf-what?" Louise asked, and the sword sighed.

"Of course this generation wouldn't know about me. Mages in this day and age are so much less observant than those in the past."

David smiled. "So if you're my sword now...nice to meet you, partner. I'm David." he greeted, using the nickname Derflinger had given Saito in the anime. "Is it fine if I just call you Derf for short?"

The sword laughed. "Yes indeed, call me what you wish! I find you quite a likable lad, I'm looking forward to being wielded by you."

David grinned. He liked Derf. The sword had a charisma of its own, more so than several side characters, and despite the fact that it could be annoying, it still would certainly prove helpful later on.

He'd have to communicate his plan with the sword, he doubted he'd be able to hide it. Good thing he knew it could keep a secret

"Well...I think that resolves this dispute." Louise said, crossing her arms in triumph. "Leave my room now, von Zerbst."

Kirche smiled, waving her hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I concede!" She got up to leave, stopping at the door to blow a kiss at David, the ornamental sword still on the ground nearby. "Keep the sword, darling, it's a gift from me to you!"

David waved. "I'll be sure to use it!" _To snap it immediately, the piece of junk._

Kirche waved as the door closed, thus leaving the two humans and the sentient sword alone and resolving another minor plot point.

The room went silent for several moments, before Derf opened up from the sheath again.

"I'm going to sleep." he said, shutting himself before Louise could shout.

"Swords don't sleep!" she shouted. She sighed in annoyance, before standing up and raising her hands in the air. "I'm feeling tired now too. Change me, dog."

David sighed, rolling his eyes. "No. And Derf...didn't you just wake up?"


	12. Derf's OTP

**Song Used: The Last Night by Skillet**

* * *

David smiled, plucking the strings of his guitar as he tuned it, having finally gotten it back from Louise. He had opted to stay in the room while Louise had class today, as he wanted to discuss his plan with Derf, who was oddly receptive to the concept of his wielder being from another world and aware of events to come.

It hadn't taken much to convince the sword to keep everything he said confidential, hidden away from Louise. Derf was smart, he understood how important it was that everything go in the proper order.

 _Well, mostly proper order._ David thought to himself, as he finished tuning the guitar and began playing a song, one with words that he gladly sang in time with the notes.

"You came to me with scars on your wrist. You said this would be the last night feeling like this." he sang, eyes closed as he mouthed the words, his voice echoing in the small room. Derf was silent, quietly listening to the music.

"'Just came to say goodbye, didn't want you to see me cry. I'm fine.' But I know it's a lie."

As he sang, he went over his plan in preparation for Count Mott to arrive. _This one I can change._ he thought, going into his world of music and music alone as he played, letting his subconscious mind think independently of the words coming from his mouth.

"This is the last night you'll spend alone. Look me in the eyes so I know you know I'm everywhere you want me to be."

 _I'm sure as heck not using that crappy ornament. Derf is coming along. It couldn't hurt to get my hands on that 'summoned book' from Kirche before he arrives too...though I don't know how I'll broach the subject yet._

He chuckled in his mental world, though the sound did not interrupt his singing. _Literally just a hentai manga...I wonder if I'll have heard of it? Probably not._

"This is the last night you'll spend alone. I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go. I'm everything you need me to be."

Another internal chuckle. _Maybe I'll check it out when I get it from her. Couldn't hurt...and it's not like I'll actually use it for its intended purpose. Probably in Japanese though, I won't be able to read it. Just curious though._

"Your parents say everything is your fault, but they don't know you like I know you. They don't know you at all."

He frowned, his subconscious slipping back to concentrating on reality, and as he heard the lyrics he was singing, he sighed.

 _Louise._ he thought. _This song fits Louise, come to think of it. Didn't I find this one in an FoZ AMV?_

"I'm so sick of when they say, 'It's just a phase, you'll be okay. You're fine.' But I know it's a lie."

 _I doubt I can grow to love her like Saito does...but I can't just leave her out to dry with her parents. I'll have to figure out some way to help her before I go back home…_

Despite the fact that she still abused him, albeit much less often than she does to Saito, he still couldn't bring himself to hate her. He could barely fault her, after witnessing the reason behind her tsundere tendencies. It all stemmed from her high-strung family after all, what with the Duke de Valliere and Karin of the Heavy Wind on one side and Eleonore on the other.

"Partner." came the metallic voice of Derflinger, cutting him from his thoughts.

He stopped playing, his hand hovering over the next note, and looked at the sword. "Hm?" he asked. "Sorry, I got disracted."

"No problem, partner." the sword replied. "I just wanted to ask what you were playing. I am not familiar with either the instrument or the song. It's quite good, though."

David smiled. "Thanks for the compliment. This instrument is called a guitar, and the song is The Last Night, by a group of musicians who call their group Skillet. Both are from my world." He wasn't sure how to explain bands, as he doubted that Halkeginia was modern enough to have bands, nor was he sure how Derf would react to the odd name the band used.

As usual, Derf seemed to shrug it off as just another oddity of humans. "It is able to placate Louise, is it not? Your playing."

David laughed. "Sort of. If she's not already angry, it helps keep her level-headed. Helps me in the same way too. I can think clearly when I'm playing."

"I know." the sword affirmed. "We are connected through the power of Gandalfr. I'm sure you already know the extent of that power."

The corner of his mouth lifted. "Yeah, I do. I understand most of the powers of the four Brimiric runes."

"Don't spoil too much." Derf chided. "It's no fun if we don't learn together!"

David laughed. "See, this is why you're one of my favorite characters. So nonchalant and optimistic."

If the sword could have smiled, it would have. "And likewise, you are one of my favorite partners. Your predecessors were usually older, and prone to ignoring me for the most part. Seems they assumed I am just a normal weapon despite my ability to speak."

David laughed. "You're a good source of advice." he said. "Plus...you're fun to talk to. Much nicer than talking to Louise. At least with you there isn't the ever present threat of getting whipped."

"She does seem quite volatile, doesn't she? I still think you'd be alright together."

David laughed, waving a hand dismissively. "No thanks, not interested. She's not my type."

The tone of Derf's voice made David clearly visualize the sword raising an eyebrow, though the metal stayed unchanged. "And Princess Henrietta is?"

David blinked, before laughing again. "You're kidding." he said. "My views on Henrietta aside, that's a ship that could never sail. I am basing my plan in reality, and that's not realistic in the slightest...plus, I don't plan on staying long enough to get to the point where she starts loving Saito."

"Hmm." Derf grunted, a sound that clearly showed a layer of disbelief in David's words. "Plans almost never go quite as expected. Things may change in a flash...especially since you're planning on relying on her political power."

"I keep work and home separate." David countered. "I don't need a romantic relationship with Henrietta, I just need her to trust me enough that she'll follow my plan. Business partnership comes first, love is a very far second. Save that for when I'm back on Earth."

Derf obviously didn't believe him. Well, that or the sword was just continuing to tease him, because that's what Derf enjoys most, teasing its wielder about their relationships.

"Wouldn't be that bad getting to be a king though, wouldn't it?" it suggested. "You would probably not get that in your world."

"Derf, stop!" David said, getting ticked off by the sword's prodding. "I'm not shipping myself with Henrietta!"

If Derf could smile, it would be grinning ear to ear. "You don't sound like you care that she's royalty, you don't even call her Princess!"

David shouted in annoyance, setting his guitar back in its case and walking over to the sword, picking up the sheath and slinging it on his back over his hoodie. "We're training."

"I think I won this argument." the sword said, before closing itself into its sheath with an apology at the glare David gave it.


	13. Count Mott

David sighed, ending off another song on his guitar, and sat still for a few seconds before returning the instrument to its case, closing the lid and clasping it closed, before sitting cross-legged, arms crossed and eyes closed in thought.

"What are you doing now?" Louise asked, getting out of her bed to stand in front of him, looking down at him with a mixture of confusion and exasperation. "You've been doing nothing but playing that Oracion song and meditating for the last few days. What's got you so bothered?"

He blinked, looking up at her, though he didn't uncross his arms. Obviously, he couldn't tell her what was really on his mind, but luckily, he had planned out an excuse in case she asked.

"Something I heard from Malicorne while I was training with Derf since I didn't have my guitar." he lied, referring to the first side character whose name he could think of. "There's some kind of messenger coming by soon or something?"

Louise blinked, before nodding. "Right. Count Mott, a messenger for the Palace. He comes by the Academy every now and then."

David nodded. "What's he like?" he asked, uncrossing his arms and holding onto his thighs in a resting position, still looking up at her.

Louise's face twitched, and she groaned. "Arrogant, irritating, perverted." she listed off. "Even Guiche doesn't like him."

David laughed. _Of course...Definitely one of the worst people for Siesta to be noticed by._ he thought. "I'll have to meet him." he said with a grin.

"You're not challenging another noble just because you don't like them!" Louise exclaimed immediately. "I forbid you!"

David waved his hands in defense. "I wasn't going to, I just wanted to see what he's like!" he defended. _I know I don't like the guy already, but I need as much information as I can get._

~~~Later~~~

David stood next to the other familiars, leaning on Sylphid's side as he watched the horse-drawn carriage enter the large gate serving as the entrance to the academy grounds. Louise stood nearby, glancing between him and the carriage, and for once, Derf had decided not to speak, resting quietly in the sheath on David's back, under the second sheath containing the useless gold sword, which David had opted to carry despite its lack of purpose for the sake of not insulting Kirche. Of course, being made of gold, it was very heavy and kind of made his back hurt.

As the carriage slowed to a stop in front of the group of students who had collected around the area in curiosity at the visitor, whom none had seen as they were all first or second year students and had not been there the last time he'd visited, David adjusted his weight, standing straight up and crossing his arms, mostly to keep himself from toppling over at the weight of the cosmetic sword.

Pure gold was a bad idea for a weapon for many reasons.

When the carriage stopped, the door opened, and out stepped the Count, who David immediately focused on, observing the way he moved and how his face looked.

As expected, his style of walking suggested an overabundance of confidence, and the smile on his face looked like it was not there due to happiness, though it didn't seem to be faked either. Maybe David was just a little too suspicious thanks to knowing what the Count was like, but he seemed to notice more about the man than he thought he would.

The red mantle he wore denoted him as a noble, though that much was obvious...though perhaps its color implied that he was a messenger? Or maybe it simply signified that he was a Count, David never really did learn how the cloak system worked in the show.

Of course, there wasn't much to do now relating to the man, so he simply watched as Mott walked into the Academy, heading to Osmond's office to deliver whatever message it was that he'd been sent to give, and within moments, the crowd of people had dispersed.

He looked around, and was surprised to find that Louise had already left. She did have class that day, it made sense that she wouldn't bother to say goodbye to him before vanishing, so he simply shrugged it off as normal.

Well, he didn't need her anyway. Today, he was planning on checking with Kirche about the book, a conversation that no doubt would be awkward for him, though he had a fairly solid excuse for knowing about it.

However, that plan would have to wait, as Sylphid reached her head down to tap at his head with the tip of her beak.

He rubbed his head where she'd tapped it, looking to at her, and she tilted her head to motion to someone, and he followed her movement, blinking as he saw her owner, the quiet Gallian Chevalier, walking up to them, carrying her staff and a book as she usually was.

He smiled, stepping away from Sylphid, but Tabitha simply shook her head, pointing her staff to him.

"I wasn't here for Sylphid." she said quietly. "I wished to speak with you."

He blinked, surprised. Here was an event that certainly did not happen in the anime...he couldn't remember Saito even speaking with Tabitha until much later. Had he messed up the timeline somehow by being around Sylphid too much?

"Um...sure, what is it? You're Tabitha, right?" he said, and she tilted her head in a small nod.

"Sylphid likes you." she said. "You know her." Her tone made him gulp. How much had he accidentally revealed to the dragon? He couldn't have told her anything about the future, he'd been very careful about that!

"You can understand her?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"I cannot speak her tongue, though she understands me." she replied, and David let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "But I can see her emotions in her eyes and how she moves. She is comfortable with you. I wished to thank you, for taking care of her while class is going."

He smiled at her, holding the back of his head with a hand. "It's no problem, really...We're both familiars, after all, it's normal to be friends."

Another shake of the blue-haired Square mage's head. "She is afraid of humans." she stated. "You are special." She turned around, walking away without any further words, heading off person to class.

David and Sylphid exchanged a glance, before he laughed. "Your master is a good person." he said to the dragon, who closed her eyes in an expression of happiness and nuzzled the side of his head. He laughed again, reaching his arm up to run his hand along the top of her snout.

"And you're a good person too, Sylphid."

Well, if Tabitha was skipping class, that meant Kirche was probably in class too, so the idea of mentioning the manga was out the window. Oh, well, he'd just follow along with the more canon route, though Tabitha appearing had sort of shaken his confidence that everything would go properly. He hadn't even planned for her to ever speak with him, he didn't remember her talking much at all in Season 1, so if she was already starting to talk to him, it could prove bad for when he actually set his plan in motion.

~~~That night~~~

It took less preparation than he thought to get ready for heading to Count Mott's mansion. Louise had gone to sleep early, and it proved very easy to find a horse. It was a good thing he knew enough French that he could read a map he'd 'borrowed' from Louise, because there wasn't going to be much help here.

After checking to make sure he was safely on the horse, an animal he had never ridden before - he took the reins and whipped them, causing the animal to start into a run out of the academy grounds.

It was surprisingly easy to gain control, and within a few minutes of riding, he was able to both direct the horse's speed and direction and read the map at the same time, though he didn't know why. Perhaps Gandalfr had a tiny overlap with Vindalfr that he wasn't aware of.

However, the ease of the ride did not help the fact that he was riding bareback for two hours, so by the end of it, he could barely walk straight from how sore he was. At least the horse stayed still as he headed towards the manor.

He didn't plan on confronting Mott. That was a bad idea on many accounts, and he was uncertain how it would end out, so instead, he opted to do a little research into the man by finding a poorly guarded area of the mansion and entering through an open window.

Screw direct confrontation, if he could find something incriminating, it would only be easier to do this, and the heirloom book may not actually be necessary if he could find something particularly useful.

Unfortunately for him, he ended up in, of all the rooms in the mansion, the main guardroom. So, as soon as he stepped inside, he found himself surrounded.

"..." He stared at them, before grinning sheepishly. "Oh, sorry...wrong house." he said.


	14. Odekoron Knight

David's hindsight was 20/20. He should have just gone through the front as Saito did, but now he had a room full of guards who were all clearly annoyed at him, and the two swords on his back didn't help matters.

"Who are you, and what is your purpose for invading here?" one of the guards asked, and they all drew their swords, pointing them at David, who shrank back, his hand reaching for the handle of the golden sword.

 _I can't use Derf, that'll give away who I am._ he thought. _But I can't beat them without a real weapon…_

The door to the room burst open, and in walked exactly the person he was looking for: Count Mott, followed by an obviously uncomfortable, but oddly not very surprised, Siesta.

She stared at him, and he stared back, for several seconds, before she turned her gaze away, not wanting to mention that she knew him, though whether it was from embarrassment or from not wanting his identity to be known he couldn't tell.

"Sir, this...child broke into this room, wielding weapons." one of the guards said, the group keeping their blades levelled facing the intruder.

"Hm?" Mott asked, looking curiously at David, before he blinked. "Weren't you at the Academy?" he asked, clearly not feeling threatened by his presence. Understandable, as he was a Triangle water mage and had at least 10 guards between him and David.

David blinked, before smiling, as non-threateningly as possible, lowering his hand from the gold sword and standing straight, causing the guards to stiffen and adjust their grips on their swords, though he raised his hands to show that he was not trying to attack.

"I didn't know you'd recognize a vague person you saw only once." he said to Mott, who chuckled in response.

"It isn't every day that you see someone at the academy who is both a commoner and a swordsman." he said. "And it was hard to miss that big blue dragon you were near."

David laughed. _Good, keep him on his good side._ "Sorry for coming in this way...I wanted to dodge the guards. Looks like that didn't work as well as I thought, did it?" he asked, making his tone as sheepish as possible on the last sentence.

The Count laughed again. "Guards, lower your weapons, this boy is quite amusing." he ordered, and after noticeable hesitation, the guards obeyed his command, standing at attention in a semicircle around their master. "And what is it you wanted from me, that you'd go through this much trouble to do? I can't imagine that the school allowed you to come here."

"You're right, they didn't. I snuck away." David admitted. "I'm here to take Siesta back."

"Oh?" Mott asked, raising an eyebrow, and Siesta gasped, causing the noble to glance at her before turning back to David. "Is she particularly close to you? You do know that I paid for her, right? I wouldn't just give away my servants!"

Siesta blushed at the question, though David shrugged it off. "Everyone has something to bargain." he said. "Name your price and I'll do it."

 _Please let him say the book. I can't afford anything else…_

Mott scratched his chin as he looked at David. "You are certainly an interesting one...Very well. I will give you a chance. There is indeed something I do want more than I want this servant girl."

"What is it?" David asked.

"There is a Germanian family, the von Zerbsts." he said, and David let out a sigh of relief, which Mott luckily didn't notice. "Their current heir has a hold of an heirloom of theirs, a book claimed to be able to teach men how to take women without needing to purchase servants. I wish to have that book, but unfortunately, I exert no power over another nation's nobles."

David hesitated, though it was a false reluctance. In reality, he was ecstatic. This would be perfect, he knew exactly how to get the book!

"...Deal." he said. "I'll have it soon."

Count Mott raised an eyebrow. "You know where it is?" he asked, and David laughed.

"The girl who has it has a crush on me, it won't be hard." Slight half truth, but the general gist was accurate.

The count laughed again, holding his hands to his stomach. "Interesting indeed! I look forward to it! I will not touch this servant girl until you have brought it!"

 _At least he's honorable._ David thought. _He'll keep his end of the deal._

With that, he was lead out by two of the guards, this time out of the front door instead of the window.

~~~Back at the Academy~~~

The meeting had been mercifully short and surprisingly went very well, so, back at the academy grounds and walking stiffly down the hallway, trying to get rid of the soreness from another several hours on horseback, David made his way to Kirche's room, having memorized the path from when Flame had lead him there.

He knocked on the door, standing back to wait for the tanned noble to answer. He knew she was awake...and come to think of it, she was likely not alone.

Evidently that worry was null and void. When the door opened, it was just her, looking exhausted, her eyes half-lidded and trying to blink away sleep.

"Oh, darling?" she asked. "What are you doing here?" She yawned, holding her hand to her mouth. "Didn't expect you to come here willingly so soon…"

She would have sounded sultry if she wasn't dead tired. David shook his head to clear his thoughts. "I was told to ask you for some sort of heirloom book?" he said, and she blinked, a little more awake after he said that.

"A book?" She stared for several seconds, her tired brain working to trigger any sort of memory. "Oh, that thing! Yeah, you can have it. I don't care about it." David smiled, and was about to thank her when her face lit into a sleepy grin. "You've gotta date me some time though. I didn't get a chance with you last time because Louise interrupted us."

David sweatdropped. "...Right." _Should I...I really don't want to confront Mott with a weapon, and this plot point is non-canon for the most part and would have the same end result...It couldn't hurt to just accept it now, right? Plus, she's so tired I'd be surprised if she remembers this conversation…_

He nodded. "Alright, I'll accept." he said, and she smiled, before turning to rummage around her room, before pulling out a very thin book, which was obviously more cover than it was pages.

"Here you go!" she said, in a better mood than before, handing the book to him.

He accepted it, and Kirche waved him off as he walked away, yawning and closing the door behind her almost as soon as he was out of reach.

 _I get the feeling I made a mistake…_ he thought as he made his way back to Louise's room, holding the book in one hand. _A porn magazine...what a pathetically obvious plot twist._

He stopped walking, looking around. _Her room's going to be dark since she's asleep, and these hallways are always lit...Maybe I should check it out, just in case._

Obviously he didn't intend to use it for its actual purpose, but he had been curious to know what series it was in the show. He could satisfy his curiosity now.

That was how he found himself sitting cross-legged, looking at the Germanian script, some form of Cyrillic rather than Latin characters oddly enough, on the cover surrounding the much smaller actual magazine.

He sighed to himself. _Reading a porn mag in plain sight of anyone who happens to come by. What am I, an exhibitionist?_ he thought, though he opened it anyway.

His eyes widened, immediately recognizing it even from the first page. "Oh...this is bad. Very, _very_ bad…"

His surprise at the book being actually in English and not Japanese wasn't what was so worrisome. No, the thing that was concerning was that he knew this particular doujin.

The front cover displayed an obviously provocative image of Agnes Chevalier de Milan, who he recognized as Henrietta's personal knight. This particular one happened to be the only one in his world, at least that he'd found, relating to Agnes...and Henrietta.

Odekoron Knight, a doujin that was very much a hentai series, and one of his particular favorites back at home. Any other time, he'd have been glad to find an English copy.

This was not any other time. Not only did it feature both Agnes and Henrietta, it also acknowledged Familiar of Zero as a series. In other words, if this were to get into Count Mott's hands…

It would not only ruin the reputation of the princess and her knight and possibly trigger some sort of war with Germania over owning such a thing, it would also jeopardize his entire plan before it even began. In short, he had to get rid of it as soon as possible.

He regretted burning a book that was potentially Siesta's only chance at freedom, but it was preferable that he figure out a different solution than to potentially drive Henrietta out of the palace, so he ripped the book out of its casing and held it up to one of the torches lining the walls.

He stared at it as the corners of the pages ignited, lowering it and gently waving it to let the flames spread, his other hand clutching the Germanian-made cover to it.

As the image of Agnes burned, he sighed. He'd have to find a different solution to Siesta's problem.


	15. Problem Solved

As he watched the burning pages of the doujin, the pages curling in on themselves, revealing some of the panels, which quickly continued burning, he sighed.

Odekoron Knight was one of his personal favorites, and it really was a well-drawn story...for a mostly plot-less manga, and he appreciated both the re-read value and the artist who had created it. It was sad to watch it burn, though it was necessary.

After it was mostly blackened, he stomped on it, causing it to crumble into a small pile of ashes, nothing remaining of the doujin, and the idea behind it, except for grey dust.

A loss for sure, but much preferable to losing Henrietta, who he both needed for her political power and personally didn't want to hurt.

The cover he disposed of likewise, burning it in the torch and spreading the ashes around so that they just seemed like a dirty floor.

Now he had the issue of figuring out a different solution to the problem. He really wanted to avoid confrontation, and now that he'd burned the book, Kirche wouldn't be able to come later and placate Mott with the trade-off.

All in all, he may have screwed up his plans completely, and he didn't want to leave Siesta out to dry like that. She didn't deserve that kind of fate.

And he couldn't let Mott know he was there unless he had the book. He wouldn't win in a fight against the man, not without any sort of magical protection or anything, and trying to take a horse again could lead to him getting caught.

He headed outside again to clear his head, and just as he was about to head to the now-closed kitchens to possibly speak with Marteau, an odd thought that he only had on a whim, he felt a small hand on his shoulder.

The motion nearly made him jump out of his skin, and he turned his head, fearful of the possibility of Louise having found him.

He breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't Louise, it was Tabitha...who still had caught him, but now he could play it off as something else.

"Uh, hi, Tabitha." he said. "I was just getting a walk, I couldn't sleep."

As Sylphid landed beside him, the Chevalier shook her head. "The maid...Siesta." she said, and he blinked, laughing sheepishly.

"So you knew?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Sylphid saw you leave."

Great, looks like I was caught after all. he thought. "Uh...please don't tell Louise."

She shook her head, and with a wave of her staff, Sylphid followed her signal, crouching over as if to let him get on.

He looked at the dragon in confusion. "What are you-"

"Helping." Tabitha interrupted. "I don't trust Mott."

That was worrisome. When Tabitha didn't trust someone, there was almost always something very wrong. Mott was an arrogant jerk, but that's how nobles are, so what could there possibly be that made Tabitha not like him?

"Why/" David asked, but the girl simply shrugged.

"Sylphid will take you." she said, ushering him onto the dragon's back. He accepted, because she was faster than a horse, and she was clearly willing to help, even if she was a bit more obvious than a horse. "Be safe." she said, as Sylphid took off.

David instinctively wrapped his arms around her neck as she flew, the sensation of flying very different from that of riding. However, it was surprisingly not as uncomfortable, though the strong wind and the odd feeling of floating meant that he didn't open his eyes for the entire 1-hour flight, not daring to look down and not daring to loosen his grip on her neck.

Surprisingly, as Sylphid landed very quietly for such a big animal on the roof, the ride had not been as bad as he thought it would, even if he couldn't see the whole time. She hadn't flown so high that it would be cold, and her head and neck shielded him from the brunt of the wind shear. As well as that, her landing was smooth and light, to the point that he doubted that anyone inside would hear it.

He dismounted from her, standing on the roof of the building. "So...I can look around the upper rooms?" he asked, looking at her for confirmation, though she just shrugged.

He laughed. Obviously she didn't have a plan, she was a dragon, not a human...and her human form was lacking in two things. Common sense, and clothing.

He turned away from her, and she laid down, resting her head on the brick red tile of the mansion roof. He scanned the roof for an entrance, before deciding to simply scale down to the attic level...which, luckily, happened to have only a seven-foot drop to the balcony, and had plenty of railing to climb down with.

He glanced inside before going in, checking to make sure there were no guards, and luckily, this time, he had not made such a stupid choice of rooms. This one looked almost abandoned.

The door to the balcony was unlocked, signalling that Mott must never expect people to go through this way...understandable, as magic is easily detected and Tristain rarely had dragons, though he had the latter on his side.

This time, he was far more stealthy in his movements, though the swords on his back still weighed him down. At least Derf hadn't questioned his plans, it had even stayed silent when he burned the Odekoron Knight copy. It was odd, he'd fully expected some smart comment to come from the blade, but no, it hadn't said a word since daytime.

David was surprised by that. Considering the sword's perverted sense of humor, he was sure it would say something about it, though he was glad it didn't.

As he walked through the dusty attic, he blinked, coming across a desk that was free of dust, stacked with papers.

Well...if I'm going to infiltrate this place, I might as well check out what I can find. Tabitha doesn't trust him, he must be hiding something… he thought, walking silently to the desk and picking up the pile of papers.

They crinkled as he looked them over, attempting to pick out the few French words he did know…

...then he looked at the return addresses.

His eyes widened. He didn't need to read French to know names when he saw them, and these…

Oliver Cromwell. A mannaz rune, probably Sheffield. Jean-Jacques. Fouquet. Several others, but none raised as many red flags as those four.

"Oh my god." he said quietly.

Looks like he'd found his incriminating evidence. Tabitha had been right.

Count Mott was working for Reconquista.

~~~At the Academy~~~

David had urgently made Sylphid leave as soon as he could, racing through the air as fast as she could possibly go. He wasn't worried about falling off or of looking down, staring straight ahead, gripping the stack of letters with a determined expression.

He had his evidence. No confrontation needed, with this he could get Siesta back without ever having to confront the Count again.

Almost as soon as he landed, the light of sunrise just beginning to peek out over the horizon, he jumped off, practically running to Tabitha, who stood nearby as if she knew he'd be there this soon.

"I need to send a letter." he said urgently. "Can you write it for me? It's an emergency."

She blinked, before nodding, turning around and ushering him to follow her, which he did readily.

In her room, she sat down with a piece of paper and a pencil, looking at him for instruction.

"In this letter, I have evidence to justify the deposition of one Count Mott of Tristain." he stated, using as formal language as he could while Tabitha dutifully transcribed his words onto the paper. "I believe that, using these letters as evidence, the count has been sending information to the Reconquista."

Tabitha raised an eyebrow, but otherwise did not make any indication of surprise at the accusation. "Signed to?" she asked.

David nodded. "Agnes Chevalier de Milan, of the Princess's royal guard." he said. He knew Tabitha wouldn't question how he knew these names, being a quiet and generally not all that curious person, so he was free to say the name.


	16. The Maid's Crisis, Averted

"Don't put my name in the address." David said, and Tabitha stopped writing, looking at him with her usual flat expression.

"Who should I inscribe it from then?"

David thought for a few seconds, before chuckling. "Odekoron Knight." he said, though internally, he was laughing at the name. What better thing to use when addressing Agnes?

Her eyebrow raised as she spelled out the word on the paper, before folding it and wrapping it in a piece of ribbon along with the letters, which she pointedly ignored.

That was a surprise to David. He knew of Tabitha's involvement in Gallia, and had assumed she'd be interested in anything to do with Reconquista, yet she didn't even think twice about handing the now-rolled message to him.

As he took it in his hands, she nodded. "Give it to a messenger pigeon and tell it the name it's to deliver it to, and it'll send it for you."

He nodded. "Thank you for helping, Tabitha." he said, lightly bowing. He didn't know why he bowed, but it seemed fitting. Plus, he liked Tabitha enough that he wasn't afraid to show her the respect that she deserved.

As he walked out of the doorway, holding the handle behind him, he glanced back through the crack in the door. Tabitha had stopped paying attention, and already had out a book, leaning back in her chair as she pored over the pages.

 _I should ask her to teach me to read some time, she seems like a good teacher._ he thought. That wasn't just from the show that he got that from, she genuinely did seem like the kind of person who was good at instructing people, even if she rarely spoke of her own accord.

In any case, thoughts of Tabitha aside, he had more pressing matters. It wasn't hard to find the pigeon stock, he'd asked about it a few days ago in preparation for his plan to get started soon, so it took little time to find a suitable one - the biggest one he could find as it was quite a large amount of paper, and tie the rolled-up paper to its leg.

"Agnes de Milan." he told the bird, pushing his arm up to launch it in the air.

It flapped a few times, before getting its bearings and heading out of the academy grounds toward Tristania.

It never ceased to amaze him how a bird could understand names and recognize where those people were, but he didn't question it. The message had been sent, now all he had to do was wait.

He knew the letters were more than enough evidence to persecute the count, so he wondered how much outcry there would be when he was deposed. Probably not much, he got the feeling that Mott was already just asking to be gotten rid of.

He knew Siesta was safe until Agnes and her soldiers got to Mott. Despite being a slimy bastard of a noble, the man would still keep a promise, David knew that.

He smiled to himself. _Nobles have honor to spare, and they keep their promises...But I'm not a noble, and I didn't make a promise, I just lied. Sorry, man, didn't mean for you to get caught up in this. It's your fault for working for the enemy!_

Weird, he already thought of Reconquista as his enemy. Was this whole world not his enemy? Sure, he hadn't actively been attacked yet and Louise's abuse was still relatively rare, but he had no loyalty to anyone in Tristain, or in this world, for that matter.

He was selfish, he knew. All of his plans were to benefit him, and helping other people was an afterthought. He was doing this for Siesta because it was plot relevant and without her he couldn't get the Zero fighter later on. None of his planning was intended for any outcome other than getting him back to Earth.

He wondered how his parents felt right now. Time passed the same here and there, they'd probably been worried sick over their son being missing for the last several weeks. He knew he missed them.

"Don't worry." he said to himself. "I'm doing everything I can. I'll see you again some day."

The faint glowing of his runes despite wielding no weapon went unnoticed, and faded away quickly.

~~~The next day~~~

Not half an hour after getting back to Louise's room, the sun rising outside even as he went up the stairs, she began waking up, giving him just enough time to get to his hay pile and pretend to be asleep.

"David?" she asked, sitting up and yawning, stretching her arms out over her head. "I know you're awake. What were you doing?" she added, in a suspicious tone.

So much for pretending to be asleep. "I got up early because I had to use the bathroom and decided to take a walk." he lied, sitting up. He hadn't gotten any sleep that night, but he surprisingly wasn't all that tired. The adrenaline rush from the night's events probably helped with that, but he would no doubt crash the next night.

~~~Later~~~

While Louise was in class, which he still opted not to join since it was unimportant to him, he napped on Sylphid's side as he always did, neither party mentioning the night's ride. There was no reason to, that was over and done with.

"David!" called someone, and he opened his eyes to look at the source, and his face lit in a smile at the maid practically running at him.

She jumped at him as he attempted to stand, causing both to collapse onto Sylphid, who shook her head in annoyance and stood up to walk away, leaving David pinned under the girl.

"Count Mott got arrested!" she said excitedly, and he smiled knowingly, though she mistook it as simple happiness. "The Musketeer Squad of Tristania came and took him in!"

She realized that he was still pinned under her, and she stood up with an apology, which he shot down as he stood up next to her, rubbing a spot on his back that was sore from the fall.

"I thought something like that would happen. Sorry, I wasn't able to get the book to trade…"

Siesta shook her head, her grin never leaving her face. "No, it's fine! You didn't need to do anything this time, it's alright! All of his servants and guards got relieved of duty, and I got to come back here!"

"So everything's back to normal?" he asked, and she nodded, before launching into an excitement-fuelled chattering that he couldn't understand in the slightest.

"I'm glad you're having fun." came another voice, and Kirche appeared seemingly from nowhere. David cringed as he looked at her, and she laughed at his reaction, waving a hand teasingly.

"Don't think I forgot about that promise." she said, before tapping her chin with a finger as she winked. "But, Tabitha put in a good word for you, so I'll let it slide...for now."

He smiled. "Thanks, Kirche." he said, genuinely. _She really is a nice person, when you get past her shallow behavior. Thank you, Tabitha!_

"So what was that I heard about Count Mott?" she asked.

"He got kicked out." David said. "He was found to be working for Reconquista."

Kirche blinked. "No kidding?" she asked, though she didn't really sound all that surprised. "I thought he seemed kind of...not right."

David nodded, before smiling. "Well, it got Siesta back to us, so that's good!" he said, and the tanned girl grinned, turning her gaze to the maid.

"Welcome back!" she said, before tilting her head. "Have we met?"

Siesta sweatdropped. "I'm usually in the cafeteria during breakfast, you pass by me every day…" she said, and Kirche blinked.

"Oh, sorry, I never noticed!" she said, and Siesta just laughed nervously.

"It's alright, most nobles don't pay attention to us servants." she assured the Germanian.

As the two talked, David stood a couple steps away from them, smiling and looking up at the sky.

 _Next up is the Familiar Exhibition...and Henrietta._ he thought. _Then I can really get the plan going. This'll be fun._

 _Hang on, mom and dad. I'll be back to you soon._


	17. Henrietta

Louise was pacing around the room, back and forth from the bed to the door, while David simply stared at her, sitting cross-legged on his hay pile. Derf lay in his sheath leaning on the wall as usual, still oddly silent since the Count Mott event.

"Louise, what are you doing?" he asked, and she stopped and glared at him, an expression of mixed parts irritation and worry on her face.

"The familiar exhibition is tomorrow, and you have no talents I can show off!" she said, and David sweatdropped.

"Umm...Louise?" he asked, and she glared at him.

"What is it? Do you have an idea? Be quiet if you don't!"

David sighed, before pointing at his guitar, which lay in its case, the lid open as he'd been practicing earlier. "I do have a skill to show off...and I've already picked out a good song."

Louise blinked, staring at him with wide eyes, before changing her stance, pointing at him as if she'd made some big revelation. "That's right, you are a bard!" she said. "You can play your strange instrument!"

 _Did I not just say that?_ he thought, before shrugging and smiling, letting the flat-chested mage have her way. "Of course. Don't worry, I'll blow away the competition!" he said, grinning, and she grinned back.

"What are you going to play? That Oracion?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"I have one with actual words to it." he said, before winking, holding up an index finger in a 'you'll have to wait' motion. "You'll see, it's one of my favorites...plus it goes well with my guitar's model, so it should sound quite nice, even compared to Oracion."

He glanced out the window, even from here able to hear the sound of a carriage pulling up, and chuckled quietly to himself as he heard the clear sound of clicking shoes outside in the hallway a few moments later.

 _Jesus Christ, could you be any less stealthy?_ he thought. _Honestly, these doors are mostly soundproof and it's still painfully obvious you're coming._

"So you'll play a song and-" Louise said, but was interrupted by a knock. In a flash, David was standing, heading to the door.

"I'll get it, you're still too stressed about this." he said, smiling and opening the door.

Evidently, the girl on the other side didn't expect such a quick response, and collapsed forward, sending both of them tumbling to the ground. Luckily for her, the hood of her cloak did not yet fall off, so she assumed she was still hidden.

He stared for a few seconds, before glancing at Louise's shocked expression and laughing. "You okay there?" he asked, helping her stand after she'd gotten off of him, pulling her by her hand.

He quickly pulled her close to him, his mouth near her ear, and whispered quietly to her, for only a couple seconds, so that it seemed like she'd just lost her balance from Louise's perspective.

"Hello, Henrietta." he said, and from under the cloak, she gaped at him as he backed up.

"So you knew." she said, and Louise looked at them in confusion.

"Knew what?" she asked, and stared as the cloaked girl lowered her hood, smiling warmly at Louise.

"It's been a long time, Louise!" she said, running at the shell-shocked girl and pulling her into a tight embrace.

Louise spluttered in surprise, quickly breaking away from the hug and kneeling down on one knee. "Princess Henrietta." she said, trying to sound as formal as possible. "For what reason did you wish to see me?"

Henrietta sighed, pulling Louise up by her shoulders to a standing position. "Louise, no need to be so formal when we're alone together. We're childhood friends, just call me Henrietta!" she said.

David smiled, leaning on the wall with his arms crossed in front of him, not wishing to interrupt their reunion. Of course he expected this, but it was genuinely adorable seeing the two together. They really did look like childhood friends, even more so since he could see them in person.

Henrietta smiled, before looking at him. "I presume you're the peasant familiar I've heard so much about?" she asked, and he nodded, grinning.

"That's me." he replied, walking over to his hay pile and sitting down, leaning on the wall with an arm draped over his knee. "I hear Mott got canned." he said, and Henrietta blinked, briefly sighing, before the sigh morphed into a laugh at his odd wording.

"He was discovered to have been a traitor. My personal Chevalier received an anonymous message with more than enough evidence to prosecute him."

David nodded, but Louise spoke before he could say anything.

"What's going to happen to him?" she asked. "I didn't hear anything about this." She glanced at David with an accusatory expression.

Henrietta shook her head. "He'll likely be executed for his treason. He's been sending information to Albion for a long time, if the dates on the letters were correct. Unfortunately it'll take a while for proceedings to finish, several months at least considering that he is an important figure for association with the Academy."

It was now that Derf finally decided to speak. "I didn't like that guy from the minute I saw him, and I know for a fact several other people thought he was suspicious."

Henrietta blinked, staring at the sword. "Did...Did your sword just…"

"Yes." both Louise and David said simultaneously, though neither gave an explanation. None was needed, what was there to explain?

"Anyway, are you going to be entering the exhibition?" Henrietta asked. "I was looking forward to seeing what your familiar could accomplish!"

Louise blushed with embarrassment, before nodding. "Of course he is entering! And he's going to do something that'll blow everyone else away!" she boasted...though she didn't sound all that sure of herself.

David laughed, waving a hand. "It's not that great, I'm sure I'll be hard pressed to beat Sylphid."

"You do seem on good terms with the other familiars, aren't you?" Louise asked, and David smiled, nodding.

"It wouldn't do to make enemies with my equals, would it? I'm just an idiot dog after all!" he said, mirroring her usual stale insult.

She spluttered, and he laughed, before standing up, taking Derf's sheath and pulling it over his head, before heading to a large pile of what was obviously Louise's dirty clothing. "Well, I've let this pile up long enough, I'll let you two catch up." He made a pointing motion to Henrietta as he walked out, his hand shielded from Louise's view by his torso.

Henrietta blinked, before shaking her head. "Right, I should probably get back as well. My guards don't know I'm gone, they'll freak out if they find out I snuck away." she said, quickly leaving the room, leaving a very confused Louise alone.

~~~At David's laundry station~~~

The night was warmer than usual, quite nice to be working on the laundry he'd ignored for a while for just this purpose.

After washing her clothes for her for the last few weeks, it had gotten so that he could do it with minimal thought involved, so he hardly felt embarrassed while he ran a pair of her panties along the washing board, humming Oracion to himself as he worked.

"You knew me." came a voice, and he stopped momentarily to turn around, and smiled, noticing the now-cloaked Henrietta standing nearby.

He smiled. "You weren't very well hidden." he explained, but she shook her head, sitting down on the ground next to him.

"No, you knew me." she said again. "I could hear it in how you spoke. You weren't surprised that I came."

He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow, turning back to his work, still feigning innocence. _Good, she's suspicious. Just a little more coaxing and I can start the plan._

"Louise was always a little too arrogant to bother listening to nuances, but I learned." Henrietta continued, her voice missing her usual excitable quality. Clearly, she was deeply disturbed by whatever conclusion she may have drawn from the events in the room. "So be honest with me. Who are you?"

David smiled. "David James Wilson. I was a resident of another world before I was summoned here by Louise." he said.

"And your motive?" she asked. "What are you trying to accomplish?"

His smile widened, and he was careful to turn his head from her so she wouldn't see his grin.

"I just want to go home."


	18. The Plan Begins

Henrietta narrowed her eyes. She would be the first to admit she was an optimist and often saw only the good in people, but she was no fool. She knew when someone was hiding something, and David was definitely keeping something from her.

"You don't need to worry." he said, as if he was predicting her thoughts. "I assure you I'm no enemy of yours. In fact, I want to lend you a helping hand."

"What do you mean?" she asked. "Does this involve your world?"

He didn't answer her question directly. Rather, he went back to his washing, and asked her a question in return. "Tell me, Henrietta. What would you do if I told you that your life, and the lives of all those you're close to, were played out, for everyone to see? What would you do if every event that goes on in this world was already decided, recorded and saved to be viewed a thousand times?"

She was still suspicious, her eyes remaining narrowed. "That's a very specific scenario. Is that how your life is? A series of images that are constructed? Are you some sort of product of fate?"

He smiled, shaking his head. "Fate is an archaic concept. There's no scientific evidence to believe in any sort of destiny. My world is one of far more advanced technology than yours. I'd say it's at least...six or seven centuries ahead. We have cameras, cars, television, all kinds of things that would take me a long time to explain."

He took a towel and dried off one of his hands, which were slick with soapy water from the laundry, and reached into his pocket, pulling out a phone. "This little gadget is called a cellphone. On it, I can look for any bit of information I want, with just a few touches of the buttons." He put it back into his pocket, laughing at the princess's bewildered face. "Of course, I can't do that here since there's no such thing as wifi or chargers and you barely have any electricity. Your world is powered by magic; mine by machines."

She stared for several seconds while she tried to process what he was saying, and while she did that, Derf popped a few inches out of its sheath.

"He's told me all about his world." the sword said. "It is quite a nice place, from what I hear. But there's other things, things that specifically relate to this world."

David nodded. "I asked what you'd do if your world was a series of recorded images." he reiterated, and she nodded slowly, raising her hand to stop him.

"I must admit, I don't understand anything you are speaking of, but I think I see where you're going with this." At a nod from him to continue, she breathed before speaking again. "You're saying you can see the future."

David tilted his head, before shrugging. "Honestly, that's the best way to describe it I can think of. The reality is a bit more complicated. It's more like, your world perfectly matches a work of fiction from my world. It's a book series, and later, a television show, think a moving series of captured images. Familiar of Zero is what it's called, written by a man who used to live in the country of Japan, named Noboru Yamaguchi."

She blinked. "So...Our world is just...a 'television show'?" she asked. "A...story?"

He shook his head, sighing as he looked back at the water of the wash bin. "I thought it was, until I got summoned here. I think it probably matches some form of multiverse theory, but that's a whole other can of worms that you wouldn't know about. This world has not yet even advanced to the equivalent of our Renaissance Era, where much of these scientific terms and ideas came from."

She was silent as she mulled over his words. "And why are you telling me this? If you know of this...Familiar of Zero...then what purpose would you have in interfering by telling me?" It sounded dangerous, like he was messing with time - and despite their massive difference in origin cultures, she still understood the dangers of causing a break in the continuum, even if she didn't know such a thing existed.

He smiled. "This world is like Zero, but...It was me who was summoned, not Saito, the main character of the series. I am not him, I cannot pretend to be him forever. I've already caused quite a few changes to the events, though it's still roughly following the proper order."

"...What have you changed?" she asked, and he sighed.

"A few things here and there. Louise is not as abusive here as she is in the show, and I disposed of Count Mott in a...very different way than Saito does."

Henrietta gasped in surprise. "You're Odekoron Knight?" she asked, shocked, and he burst out laughing at the name.

"I forgot I used that nickname!" he laughed. "Odekoron Knight's a fan-created book from Familiar of Zero, focusing on you and Agnes." He conveniently neglected to mention that it was a doujin. "I thought it was more than fitting a nickname to hide my identity from Agnes."

"You still haven't told me your motive." Henrietta pointed out. "What are you trying to accomplish by telling me all this?"

"Do you not believe me?" he asked, his eye glinting in excitement. "Then I can prove it to you. Tomorrow, after the Familiar Exhibition, Fouquet of the Crumbling Earth will attack the Academy, in an effort to steal the Staff of Destruction."

She blinked. "I didn't say I didn't beli-What?!" she said, her eyes widening. "Fouquet?!"

He grinned. "Don't worry, she won't succeed. Everything will go to plan, with or without you helping me."

"Why do you need my help?!"

"Simple. You're strong, trustworthy, and I know you can keep a secret. Even barring your political power, which is also a big part of my plan, you're the only candidate I could think of to help me."

"Help you with what, exactly? Just tell me already!" she practically shouted, before covering her mouth and glancing around to make sure no one had heard her. Luckily, the guards seemed to be asleep, and she was still covered by her cloak, so she had little to worry about.

David sighed, stopping his washing again and turning to sit facing her, sitting cross-legged on the grass. "I told you already. I just want to go home. If I can help you while I'm at it, then all the better. My plan is for the benefit of everyone. Think about this. I am the only person on my planet who has the opportunity to live within one of his favorite shows. I don't want to let the bad things in this world happen, I want to prevent them - and save a lot of people who otherwise would die."

This wasn't strictly true. There were few deaths in FoZ, or at least, few that actually mattered, but it sounded like the right thing to say, and from the look on her face, she believed him.

"He is loyal to his spoken promises." Derf chimed in. "It is the way of the Gandalfr, signified by those runes on his hand."

David nodded, looking at the princess of Tristain with a determined face.

"So will you help me?" he asked, and she was silent, staring at him from her place sitting next to him as she thought over what he'd said.

After nearly a minute of silence, she finally nodded, slowly but sincerely, and her face broke into a smile, which David happily returned.

"I'll do what I can." she said, and his smile widened to a grin.

"Good. I'll send you pigeons from time to time telling you what's going on." he said. "I hope you know-"

"Keep it a secret, I know." she said, her smile turning a bit mischievous. "And from reports I've received on you, you speak a language similar to Albionian, right?"

David blinked, before nodding in realization. "That's right, I forgot, Albion is the counterpart to my world's England."

"If that is the case…" she said. "I can read and speak Albionian quite well, as my uncle and cousin live there."

 _Two cousins._ David mentally corrected, but didn't interrupt.

"So use that. Will you be using your real name, or am I to expect a codename like 'Odekoron Knight'?"

He thought for a few seconds. What would be a good codename? He liked naming things after songs, what would be a good one to fit his plan?

Hmm…

Oh, perfect! He knew the perfect one. He was creating a branch to this timeline, an alternate future, divided from the correct one…

He nodded, the name set in his mind. "Look for a message addressed by New Divide." he said.

She tilted her head, but nodded in confirmation. "Alright, I will look for it. It is nice to meet you, David...I mean, New Divide." she said, smiling. "Good luck in the competition."


	19. Announcement

"You took your time, didn't you?" Louise asked as David came in through the door, carrying a stack of neatly folded washed clothes.

David smiled sheepishly, nodding. "Took longer than I thought, I let it pile up too much."

"The princess left right after you did." she replied, and David raised an eyebrow at her accusatory tone of voice as he set down the clothes pile on one of the tables in the room, starting to open the drawers of her dresser in order to set down the clothes in their proper places.

"You think I have anything to do with Henrietta?" he asked curiously. "Coincidence, perhaps? It's late, maybe my leaving just triggered her exhaustion. She _did_ have to ride in a carriage for several hours from the capital."

Louise crossed her arms and glared at him. "You have a knack for ending up with random girls." she said, and David laughed.

"Confirmation bias, I'm with random guys just as much, you just see the girls more often." he said. Though to be fair, few of the male students were all that interesting, as expected from a harem series. "And she's a princess, is she not? I'm not that lucky."

He chuckled quietly to himself. That was a bold-faced lie, he'd been spending over an hour talking with Henrietta. He could tell she didn't quite believe him yet, but she would when Fouquet attacked as he'd said she would.

Louise clearly didn't want to believe him, but she sighed, giving up and standing still, arms in the air in a silent command to change her as he had to every day, an event that still had not lost its awkwardness, though she still evidently saw nothing of it.

As he stripped her of her uniform, pointedly looking everywhere except at her, he sighed. _She really needs to figure out that I'm human, this is just too weird for me to do every day._ He really didn't mind it as much anymore, and the laundry was pretty relaxing so he never complained, but he still couldn't figure out how she hadn't registered anything odd about this arrangement yet.

After changing her, he went over to his guitar, closing the case and setting it against the wall so he had access to his hay pile, setting Derf's sheath next to the instrument. At least she hadn't questioned why he'd brought the sword when he was supposedly just doing laundry.

As the room went silent and he adjusted himself to sit a little more comfortably on the uncomfortable hay, he smiled to himself.

 _I've passed on the initial phase to Henrietta._ he thought. _Now I just have to make myself memorable to her._

That wouldn't be hard, he had the exhibition to show off in, and he knew exactly what to play.

~~~The next day~~~

David was up early again, the excitement for the exhibition preventing him from getting too much sleep.

He smiled to himself as he took out his guitar, setting it down in his lap to practice for a bit before Louise woke up. Nearby, Derf, who David still wasn't entirely sure ever slept, opened itself to speak.

"Up early again, Partner." the sword said, and he nodded.

"Have to prep myself, this is an important part of the plan after all." he replied, and the sword laughed.

"In 6,000 years, I've never met a Gandalfr as well-equipped as you." it said. "Usually they bumble around making trouble for everyone...and usually they don't get a following of girls this early on."

David laughed as he plucked a few strings, testing the quality of the notes for any potential tuning issues. "Well, you've never met a Gandalfr from Earth either." he said calmly. "So naturally things will be much different. As for the harem thing, just because you see it that way doesn't mean that that's what's happening."

He still doubted that the harem Saito had would still apply to him, though he had made sure to make friends with more people than Saito did early on.

Allies were good in a world like this, and he certainly didn't want to have any enemies before he left.

The sword hummed doubtfully, but didn't press. "In any case...what's next, now that you've set up the message system?"

"Haven't set it up yet, we'll save that for after the competition." David replied. "You'll have to wait and see!"

~~~At the Familiar Exhibition~~~

David sat next to Louise in the front row of the group of seats, all filled with students of the academy. The front couple rows were reserved for the second-year students, some of whom had their familiars, while the other, larger ones like Sylphid stood to the side. Along the edges of the rows stood the teachers and Principal Osmond, while at the very back stood an impressive array of royal guards protecting Henrietta, who had a priority seat raised higher than everyone else's so she had a good view of the exhibition.

A quick glance at the princess told David how excited she was, the look on her face a complete antithesis to the nervous wreck Louise was.

He nudged the Valliere's side. "Don't worry, I won't embarrass you." he assured her. _If anything, the other students will be hard-pressed to forget about you after today._ he thought, smiling.

Louise glanced up at him, mistaking his smile for being directed at her, and she returned the expression. "Thanks." she said, sighing and looking down at her feet. "I...do trust you, you know." she said, and he tilted his head. She shook her head, eyes tightly closed, before looking back at her feet, a slightly...guilty?...expression on her face. "I mean...I don't think you'll mess this up, and if you do, I'll whip you." she amended. "...Dog." she added half-heartedly.

He smiled at the forced insult, before turning his attention as he heard a cough from the stage the exhibition was to take place on.

Agnes stood there, in full armor as usual, her sword hanging from a loop on her waist while her twin flintlock pistols rested on either side of her hips. "Everyone, draw your attention here. I, Agnes Chevalier de Milan, of her Highness Princess Henrietta's personal guard, would like to make an announcement, regarding one Count Mott."

If her cough didn't get their attention, her statement did.

"What happened with him?" came someone's voice. "He was just here a week ago, what could be important that he didn't already say?"

Clearly the rumors had not yet spread very far. That was lucky, Siesta and Tabitha hadn't ratted him out. He sighed in relief.

Agnes nodded. "You would be wise not to interrupt me." she said, scanning the seats for the source of the voice and glaring at the blonde girl when she'd picked her out. Montmorency visibly shrunk in her seat at the glare coming from the swordswoman.

Agnes nodded, returning her attention back to the group as a whole. "Anyway...Four days ago, quite late at night, I received a letter addressed directly to me, from a pigeon that was later identified as one of this school's messengers." she said. Ignoring the questioning chatter of the students, she continued. "The letter detailed quite...disturbing evidence regarding Count Mott's dealings."

She paused to breathe, before moving on. "It appears that for the last three decades, from around the year 6107 to the current year, 6140 for any people who do not use the royal calendar system, he had been acting as an informant for the militant rebellion known commonly as the Reconquista."

Several gasps of surprise, but no one dared to continue chattering over the revelation, for fear of the glare she shot across the group. She was certainly an intimidating woman, though David found it easy to watch just as intently as before.

 _Up close, she really is more feminine than the show made her seem._ he thought, before shaking his head. _But she is extraneous, she has nothing to do with New Divide._

"As of today, Mott is officially deposed as Count, and will be duly replaced by someone, to be selected at a later date. Due to his status in the Tristain Magic Academy, a new messenger will also have to be chosen. This is both an informative speech and a warning to any students, foreign or not, who are not as loyal to the crowned queen and princess as they outwardly appear to be."

She didn't look at anyone specifically, but several people, mostly weaker-willed students or transfers from other kingdoms, looked pointedly uncomfortable in their seats, including the usually dominant Kirche and the silent Tabitha.

 _Well...Tabitha has every reason to be worried, since she's literally here to be a spy for Joseph._ David thought, glancing at her before turning his attention back to Agnes.

"Don't worry." Agnes said, noticing the discomfort of the students. "We do not suspect any of you of working with Reconquista. This was simply an announcement. Now that I have finished, I do hope that you all have good luck in your respective acts." she finished, before bowing stiffly, as a knight was expected to do, and briskly walking off the stage.

Osmond came up after she'd left, clapping his bony hands together. "Thank you, Agnes." he said, nodding to the knight as she took her position next to Henrietta. "And now that that's all over with, let the Familiar Exhibition begin!"


	20. David's Song

**Song used: Never Let Go by Bryan Adams**

* * *

In the anime, the exhibition had been somewhat boring. A filler episode, it had been basically an excuse for the anime producers to show off the multitude of familiars and introduce Henrietta in a more direct setting.

However, actually being there and seeing it first hand was actually quite enjoyable. David had a newfound respect for a couple of the more minor characters whose roles were somewhat lacking.

It started with several characters whose names and familiars he'd barely remembered, including the strange eye one who he'd missed meeting since he'd changed that incredibly minor plot point.

After a few of the admittedly lackluster acts came Kirche, proudly walking up the stage with Flame by her side.

Without saying anything but her name and the name of her familiar, she pointed her wand over the heads of the people watching, and Flame aimed his head in the same direction, and together, they created an impressive vortex of fire.

David smirked at the view, which was quite amazing. _A fire tornado. I wonder if they have those naturally occurring here like they do on Earth?_

Her ego successfully inflated by the applause, she bowed and walked off the stage. Next came Montmorency, her familiar, Robin the frog, doing an odd dance, before the two quietly left, the applause notably less than Kirche's.

Guiche's performance, if it even could be called that, consisted entirely of him standing perfectly still, posing with Verdandi on what seemed to be a bed of roses. While it was admittedly oddly aesthetically pleasing, it obviously was not impressive, as no one at all clapped for him.

As usual, his response was an overdramatic flip of his bangs and his rose wand procured from his pocket. "Ah, your silence is heartbreaking, but I understand, for where there must be a winner, there must also be the last place!" This was met with more applause than Montmorency's act had.

Tabitha and Sylphid's performance was everything Guiche's was not. David didn't even have the chance to think about any sort of quip about it as he watched the dragon zooming around in the air like a dragonfly, before finishing it off with a divebomb to the ground that ended in an impressive turnabout and a perfect landing back on the stage.

When Tabitha got off her back, she didn't seem winded in the slightest despite the speed and maneuvering Sylphid had been doing, and David had to join in the loud applause for hers, to Louise's annoyance, though even she had to admit that Tabitha had done well. Even a couple of Henrietta's guards had joined in, from David's glance backwards, though Agnes' hands remained on the handles of her flintlock pistols.

Loyal to a fault, but that was her personality, after all.

And now came his turn. He stood up along with Louse, making their way through the seats to get to the stairs up the stage.

As they stood there, David held his closed guitar case in one hand, which he later would claim was simply to make his act seem more mysterious to the people who did not know his talent. Louise's announcement made it obvious how nervous she was, and the bright red blush across her face only made it more evident.

"I-I-I'm Louise de la Valliere, and this is my familiar, David!" she practically shouted, eyes tightly closed. "He's a...peasant…"

She seemed to shrink at the laughter of the students, but visibly calmed down when David held her shoulder with his free hand.

She looked up at him, and seeing the warm expression on his face, relaxed, relinquishing the stage to him, standing off to the edge as he set the guitar case down on the wood.

"Well, like she said, I'm David." he said, and was met with the students continuing to laugh. He grinned mischievously. _Let's see you laugh when I blow everyone here out of the water._

He bent down, moving as slowly as possible as he painstakingly opened each of the two clasps and lifted the lid, pulling out the guitar and wrapping the strap attached to the side of the guitar around his back like he did with Derf. He rarely used this strap, but he had no stool or anything here and couldn't sit on the stage, so it would have to do.

"Well, I'll be playing a song for my act." he said, though the chatter didn't really stop to listen. "Something from my world. All credit to Bryan Adams."

With the first strum of the cords, the talking in the crowd suddenly died down, and each and every student was staring raptly at him as he began to play.

"Can you lay your life down so a stranger can live? Can you take what you need, and take less than you give?" he sang, tightening his throat to copy as best he could the throaty accent of Bryan Adams.

"Can you close every day without the glory and fame? Can you hold your head high when no one knows your name?"

A glance at Guiche with that, and the blond playboy blinked at the motion, though he was too invested in the music to say anything.

"That's how legends are made. At least, that's what they say."

He was honestly surprised. Sure, this was a completely different type of music than any of them had ever heard, but everyone, even the usually uncaring Agnes, was at attention now. He'd expected at least a few to not be interested.

"We say goodbye, but never let go. We live, we die, 'cause we can't save every soul."

Louise's expression was one of shock as well. She had been used to his playing, but he hadn't put this much effort into Oracion or the other handful of songs she'd heard him playing. Plus, this one was spoken as well as instrumental.

"You've gotta take every chance to show that you're the kind of man who will never look back, never look down, and never let go."

Maybe he was just showing off. This was the first time so many people had listened to him, and he had promised her that he would blow them away.

"Can you lose everything you ever had planned? Can you sit down again and play another hand?"

If Derf had not been left in the room, he would no doubt have laughed and said that Gandalfr always keeps his promises.

"Can you risk everything for the chance to be alone? Under pressure find grace, or would you come undone?"

Whatever his motivation, the force of his song was weighing down on everyone, the crowd silent and staring directly at him, or eyes closed and silently leaning in their seats in time with his music. Henrietta was one of those people, barely paying attention to the guards surrounding her as she let the music wash over her.

"That's how legends are made. At least, that's what they say."

David was enjoying himself. He was completely wrapped in the music, in his own little world as he always was when he played. He'd chosen this song specifically for the competition, one of the best ones he could do. The guitar matched quite close with his, and he found it fairly easy to manipulate his voice to fit it. It would no doubt be a surprise how different he sounded now, but he didn't care. All he cared about was the steel strings under his fingers and the sounds coming from his throat.

"We say goodbye, but never let go. We live, we die, 'cause we can't save every soul."

If he hadn't already been well known as the familiar of Louise the Zero, he no doubt had rooted himself in the minds of the students and staff now.

"You've gotta take every chance to show that you're the kind of man who will never look back, never look down, and never let go."

Good. Let his name, his face, his voice, the instrument bringing these notes to life in his hands, let them all be known. Let them be known by everyone. Let them know that Louise's familiar was his own person.

As he sang the more repetitive end half of the song, he scanned the crowd intently, watching their reactions.

As expected, Henrietta was one of the more easily affected, swaying in time with the notes. Next to her, Agnes was evidently trying to keep herself from doing the same, though her hands had lowered from their grips on the handles of her pistols.

When he finally drew his song to a close, he smiled as he sang the last few lyrics, before finally pulling the last note and stopping, his hands hovering over the strings as he spoke the last word.

The applause was immediate. Even Agnes put her hands together a couple times, much to the surprise of the guards near her, and she nodded in approval. Meanwhile, right next to her, Henrietta had stood up to clap, as many of the students did.

David grinned at the response, removing the strap from his shoulder and holding the guitar by the neck, looking at Louise, who had a proud look on her face.

The message his gaze gave her was obvious. _Told you I'd blow them away._


	21. Fouquet

Inside one of the towers, in front of a large set of double stone doors, stood the cloaked form of the green-haired noble-turned-thief.

"Hmm…" She quietly mused to herself as she held her wand out, struggling to undo the complicated sealing mechanisms on the doors.

She grit her teeth in annoyance. "This is taking way too long." she mumbled, and was broken from her concentration by the sound of applause outside. "Tch, they're starting to wrap up."

She shook her head in irritation, before lowering her wand. "Screw this, I'm taking a more direct approach." As she said that, she ran to one of the few windows in the room, climbing over the ledge and jumping out.

A simple wind spell was all it took to keep her descent slow, and as soon as she alighted, the ground shook, rising up under her. The dirt and rock underneath her feet melded together to form a giant golem, standing easily the height of the room she'd been in previously.

A flick of her wand, and the golem pulled back a fist, before slamming it into the wall of the tower in an effort to break through the stone.

If the golem had been less sturdy, its arm would have blown to pieces at the force of the barrier that popped up to defend the wall. Even so, it was forced to step back, the ground shaking under its weight.

~~~At the competition~~~

The applause for David's performance cut off as soon as the ground shook beneath them, and the audience looked around in confusion. Henrietta, however, had her eyes wide open, staring at David. Was the prediction he'd given her the night before accurate?

David smiled, calmly setting his guitar back in its case and closing the clasps. Now would be a good time to get Derf...but I don't have enough time to do that. A small mistake on his part, but he didn't think it would screw this event up too much. After all, its only purpose was to enable her to escape with the Staff of Destruction.

As he walked down the stage, he ushered Louise next to him, pointing at the source of the quake.

"We're going over there." he said. "Something happened, we have to check it out."

She blinked, before nodding, not questioning his motivation. After that performance, she was willing to believe anything he said.

He nodded in response, and in the confusion, the two slipped away, David dropping his case off near the field the familiars usually sat at.

He bit his lip. This is going to hurt.

Louise halted in her steps at the sight of the golem, and David stopped next to her. He whistled at the golem's size, glancing over it, briefly looking at the cloaked figure on top.

Jesus Christ, it's even bigger in person...They don't call you Fouquet of Crumbling Earth for nothing, do they? he thought, before his eyes widened as the fallen mage noticed them, reaching a stone hand to capture Louise.

He narrowed his eyes. He'd have to get captured. This is going to hurt. he repeated, before pushing her out of the way, shouting in pain as the golem's hand closed around him. Holy crap this thing has a strong grip!

He struggled as he was lifted up, vaguely aware of Louise shouting his name as the cloaked Triangle mage tilted her head at her prize.

"I wasn't going for you, familiar." she said, and he grinned. They were within earshot now, and he had a few moments while Louise was no doubt chanting a fireball spell below.

"I know you weren't, Longueville." he said, and he could see the corner of her mouth lift under the hood of her cloak.

"You are well-informed, aren't you?" she asked, before they both heard Louise shouting the last few words of the spell.

"Fireball!" the pink-haired Void mage shouted, pointing her wand at the golem...and subsequently missed, hitting the tower instead.

David sweatdropped. Seriously? I knew you were going to miss, but that's just pathetic. How hard can it be to hit a gigantic wall of stone!

Fouquet chose to laugh at the girl's misfire, but her laugh was cut short by the sound of cracking, and she glanced at the wall where the spell had hit.

"She...actually cracked it?!" she asked in surprise, before her surprise morphed into a grin. "Perfect, that's just what I want."

The golem pulled back the hand not wrapped around David and punched forward at the cracks, and with a loud crash, the barrier fell apart, the stone arm creating a large hole in the wall.

David glanced around the area, looking for some means of escape. He didn't quite remember exactly what happens after she gets the Staff and before the student group is sent to capture her...after all, he hadn't seen the first season in a while, he was bound to forget some things since back then he hadn't expected to actually be living it.

The sound of Sylphid's odd roar triggered his memory, and he smiled as he looked up at where Fouquet was standing.

Fouquet had already disappeared into the hole, coming back out with the large blue box containing what he knew was a Vietnam-era RPG. She laughed, projecting her voice to the petite mage below with a wind spell, as she couldn't hear her from there.

"Thanks, little Zero!" she said. "You were a big help!" The golem's arm returned to its side, and as it started walking away, David was unceremoniously let go, dropping toward the ground.

He knew what was going to happen, but that didn't stop his brain from going into overdrive as he plummeted, and he screamed as he fell.

Luckily for him, the end sequence of the event happened just as planned, and he found himself locked into Sylphid's long front limbs, the dragon cutting his momentum by doing a loop in the air that prevented his organs from flattening with the sudden change in speed.

As Sylphid lowered him to the ground, he watched as Fouquet's golem simply walked over the wall of the academy, its size making the movement easy for it.

When he could finally stand again, Louise rushed over to him. "Are you okay, David?" she asked, and he blinked.

Did she just use my name? She usually just calls me 'dog'. He grinned, rubbing the back of his head with a hand. "Yeah...I'd have done better if I had Derf with me."

"Thief." Tabitha said, and the two looked up at her, still mounted on Sylphid, and David nodded.

"Yeah. They got away." he said, and she nodded in return. Sylphid made a coo of understanding, unable to really add any input to the conversation.

~~~Later~~~

"What happened?" Kirche asked, following Tabitha as she walked toward the tower where her dorm lay. "Who was the thief, what did they take?"

"I don't know." Tabitha said quietly. "Didn't see their face."

There were guards everywhere, both from the Academy and Henrietta's personal detail. Agnes was ordering around a couple of them that were looking around the large dirt pile where the golem had been conjured.

David, who had at some point in the interim taken his guitar back to the room and gotten Derf, was standing next to Louise, arms crossed as he looked around.

"They had to have been a Triangle-class." she said, and he looked at her.

"Why's that?" he asked, and she looked up at him. Her eyes were hardened. Clearly, she was determined to help in any way she could, if given the chance.

"Only a Triangle mage could conjure a golem that strong, and if they were a Square, the barrier would have broken sooner." She faltered. "If I hadn't missed, this wouldn't have happened…"

David sighed, subconsciously setting a hand on the top of her head, making her look back up at him. "Don't worry. If anything, you just showed off that you're more powerful than you think. You cracked a Square-class barrier after all."

"Louise!" a voice called, and the two turned, David's hand still on the girl's head, to face Henrietta, who had all but run to get to them.

"Princess! I'm sorry, I couldn't..." Louise exclaimed, and was about to bow in apology before the purple-haired noble raised a hand to stop her.

"It's alright, Louise." Henrietta said, smiling. "There wasn't anything you could do. I'm just glad to see you're alright." She looked at David, a somewhat more surprised smile on her face. "And you too, David."

David smiled, nodding knowingly to her, and she nodded back. Louise luckily didn't notice the interaction, or there would have been some awkward excuses later on.

"I have to go back to the palace now." Henrietta said. "I need to make a full report of this incident." With a wave, she turned to leave, though not without another smile at her childhood friend.

Louise sighed, looking down. "I hope she doesn't get blamed for this…" she said, and David laughed, patting her head a few times.

"Don't worry, I doubt she will." he said. "Though this mess is still going to need to be cleaned up."

With her head safely pointed downward, he was free to grin. Add a dash of non-canon events, and I can get the ball rolling.


	22. Suspicion

"So your secretary has not yet arrived from her break?" Colbert asked, standing in the office in front of the old principal.

Osmond nodded, holding his hands together, supporting his weight over the desk on his elbows. He was looking down at the desk, an unreadable expression in his eyes. "It is quite odd that she would vanish at such a crucial time, but there is nothing I can do about it. She is visiting family in Albion."

Colbert gasped in surprise. "Albion? But that's-" He was cut off by a glare shot from the aged mage.

"The seat of the Reconquista? Yes indeed, it is, but we are not at war with them, and the Tudor family are still in power. Reconquista may be gaining strength, but it has not won yet. Do not suspect Miss Longueville so quickly."

The sudden tone of anger from the man was surprising enough that Colbert stepped back at the force of his words, and he looked down at the ground in apology.

"I'm sorry, sir. It's just that...everyone's been so antsy since the attack, and…"

Osmond nodded. "And Fouquet is indeed Albionian." he finished, and Colbert nodded in agreement. "Though we can't draw any conclusions when we do not know what she looks like."

"If I may ask, sir...how do you know it was Fouquet? That golem could have been from any number of Triangle mages…"

Osmond shook his head. "A student who was involved in the attack, who wished to remain anonymous, was able to speak with her for a brief moment. I have no reason to believe that their judgement in her identity was not correct."

Colbert blinked, before he nodded. "What shall we do? She stole a very important and dangerous artifact…"

Osmond nodded. "In the anonymous student's report, they also suggested that we send Louise de la Valliere and her familiar, along with a few volunteers."

Colbert gaped. "Why would we-" He was interrupted again by Osmond's hand being raised to stop him.

"Do you remember our last conversation pertaining to Miss Valliere?" he asked, and Colbert nodded.

"That she is a possible Void mage?" A nod from the old man.

"Her explosions are frequent, but they are indeed powerful. As well as that, her familiar, the one who wields Gandalfr, holds quite a lot of sway with the people he has interacted with. We both saw the reaction of those who witnessed his song during the exhibition."

"It was certainly a strange instrument and an even stranger song, but-" The bald teacher was cut off again.

"It indeed was odd...almost like its own form of magic in how it affected everyone. I am certain even the princess felt its influence, judging by how she was moved during his performance."

Another expression of surprise from Colbert. "He even affected her?!" he asked in shock, and Osmond laughed.

"I have reason to believe that he is plotting something, and sending him after Fouquet may be the perfect way to find out what it is." At Colbert's expression, he waved a hand. "I don't believe that he is a spy, nor do I think that his plan is against our better wishes. I simply believe that he knows more than he lets on."

Colbert nodded. "The boy from another world…" he mused, looking out the window behind Osmond's chair. "So you think he knows some sort of future-sight magic carried over from his home?"

Osmond stared at Colbert, who gulped at his expression. "I don't know what it is, some type of unknown magic or foresight or some explanation we will never know. But whatever it may be, I want to see how much he isn't letting on."

Colbert nodded, standing straight up, holding his staff up next to him as if he was poised for a march. "Then I will bring him and Louise here, and send them after the thief."

Osmond nodded, lacing his fingers together and holding his chin on his hands. "I will think of a suitable excuse." he said.

Colbert nodded, turning to leave the room.

~~~In the classroom~~~

David sighed, ignoring Kirche as she poked a fork holding some sort of odd fruit on it into his cheek a couple times.

"Come on, just try it! It's devil fruit, the sweetest edible plant in Germania!" she complained. David remained with his head pointed firmly forward, arms crossed and eyes closed in annoyance.

"I've tried devil fruit before, I don't like it." he lied, and she pouted, poking her cheek out as she gave up and ate the bite herself.

He was acutely aware of Louise sitting next to him, staring intently at him as if she was ready to attack at a moment's notice should he accept the tanned girl's advances.

That only irritated him more, and he grit his teeth and stared at the desk in front of him. "And why am I here? I've never gone to class with you before!"

He winced in pain as his summoner poked his torso, the bandages underneath his shirt digging along his bruised body.

"That's why." Louise responded. "You could have been crushed to death, you're lucky you made it out with just bruised ribs. Until you heal fully, you're sticking with me."

David blinked, looking at her, before turning away. "Thanks for the concern." he grumbled, though he clearly was not happy with being in the classroom. Of course, the fact that his other arm was sandwiched in Kirche's chest may be the main reason why he was so irritable.

"So I heard that the princess might be blamed for the theft." Kirche said, and the two looked at her. "The guards that are usually stationed at the vault were brought out to guard the area when she came by, and apparently she wasn't really supposed to come here during the exhibition."

David wasn't surprised, but Louise looked worried, before they were interrupted by the door opening, and Colbert walked in, a worried expression on his face.

"Um...Can Louise and David come with me?" he asked, and the three blinked.

"Why?" Kirche asked, and Colbert shrugged.

"They were directly involved in the incident, being among the only ones who noticed the robbery in progress. The principal wanted to ask them questions."

Louise lanced at David, who nodded, before they both stood up, getting around the students that stared at them as they passed. They were followed by Kirche, because Kirche was not going to stay ignorant of what was going on. It was her nature to be nosy.

Likewise, Tabitha stood up, despite being across the room from them. "I'm going too." she said, picking up her staff from her desk and walking over to them. "I was there as well." she confirmed by way of explanation after seeing the look on the teacher's face.

Colbert blinked a few times, before relenting, nodding and ushering them out of the door, turning to face the confused class.

"We will return shortly, please don't concern yourselves with this. Mrs. Chevreuse will instruct your class while I am gone."

With a sound of general consensus from the class, he closed the door, before leading the small group down the hallway.

As they walked, Louise stared suspiciously at Kirche, as she was prone to do.

"Why are you coming?" she asked in annoyance, and Kirche laughed.

"I'm not trying to steal your man, I just want to know what's going on." she said. "And Tabitha's my best friend, if she's going, so am I!"

David smirked at that, careful to make sure he wasn't caught by either of them. Kirche may be less than favorable on many traits, but she was certainly loyal to her friend.

Said Gallian was currently on David's other side, staring intently at him with her usual blank, emotionless expression, and to be honest, it kind of creeped him out. Tabitha was well known for rarely saying anything, preferring to stare when she wanted something, but that didn't mean he had to be used to it. He'd been the subject of that stare a few times, but even now, it still felt like it was boring a hole in the back of his head.

He glanced back at her, and she turned her head away from him, breaking her stare when she realized he'd noticed. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't question it.

Come to think of it, she's been looking at me more often since the Mott incident. he thought. She must be suspicious of me...


	23. Catch the Thief

The office seemed notably smaller when so many people were crammed into it. Not only was there the group Colbert had brought, but a few of the guards, including Agnes, had been brought in as well, meaning that they were all but pushing each other out of the door.

Osmond looked over the group, smiling at them. "Thank you for coming as I asked. I understand you all have busy schedules, as students and soldiers." he said.

"This incident must be dealt with quickly." Agnes said. "If I may suggest-" Osmond raised his hand, shaking his head.

"Fouquet is a Triangle mage, and quite skilled with golemancy. Sending in your platoon, despite your impressive skills, will not be enough. It would take far too long and bring with it too much risk. No, it would be safer to bring in a small task force of mages instead."

"Why did you bring us then?" David asked, and Osmond nodded.

"You and Miss Valliere were directly involved in fighting against Fouquet when she appeared. Besides, as this is an issue that could reflect on the princess, having her childhood friend help resolve it will reflect well on both our school and the royal family."

After a moment of hesitation, Louise nodded. "Then I'll do what I can." she said, before nudging David, who groaned in pain at his injured ribs before nodding.

"Can't really go anywhere separate from you anyway, might as well." he said, though internally, he was excited, a plan already forming in his head. Hopefully the other two members of the group would volunteer as well.

"I'm going too." Kirche said, and the group looked at her. She laughed at the sudden attention, waving her hand nonchalantly. "I'm not losing to Louise, and any chance to see my darling fighting, I'll gladly take...Oh, he must be as beautiful with his sword as he is with his music!"

A collective sweatdrop at the Germanian, who was lost in her own little dreamworld, before Tabitha raised her staff a few inches off the ground.

"I will go too." she said. "Otherwise I worry that they will end up killing each other halfway there."

Osmond nodded. "Ah, excellent! With a Chevalier in the party, this shouldn't take long!"

A gasp from both Louise and Kirche, who stared at Tabitha in surprise. The girl's blank expression didn't change, though she tilted her head curiously when David didn't so much as acknowledge her status as being out of the ordinary.

While the two were busy rapid-firing questions at the poor girl, Colbert and Osmond shared a look, both having noticed David's calm lack of reaction.

"Well...Now that we have a group in mind…" Colbert said, catching their attention again. "Agnes, I believe you said one of your women had information?"

Agnes nodded, looking at one of the armored girls, who stood at attention at her gaze. "Cheri, you are to lead them to the place you saw the thief at."

The girl, who looked younger even than Agnes herself, and only carried a musket and a shortsword, nodded, saluting her before looking at the group. "I…" she said, blinking several times. "I...I'm Cheri, I'll be leading you!" she said, her voice shaking as she spoke.

She's nervous. David thought, chewing his lip. And I've never heard of any soldier named Cheri, Agnes was the only person in the guard who was ever named...Oh, well, it shouldn't make too much difference. Still...how old is she? She's clearly not prepared for fighting a Triangle-class mage.

His doubts came to life in Louise, who stared with an expression of obvious doubt at the soldier. "Are you even capable of leading a mission?" she asked, and the girl eeped at the tone of her voice.

"O-O-Of course I am!" she said, standing straight. "I may only be 16, but I assure you, I am qualified to fight!"

Louise stared at her doubtfully, before Agnes nodded.

"Cheri is indeed worthy of this mission. She has been a loyal member of my Musketeer Squad for a long time, and she is the only one of us who saw Fouquet after she escaped."

Louise would have contested it, but even she could tell how serious Agnes was, and she had enough sense to not challenge the swordswoman. Instead, she fell silent, stepping back behind David and looking at the group's temporary leader from the space between his arm and side.

"Well, now that that's all handled, Mr. Colbert will see you off." Osmond said, nodding as Colbert lead the crowded group out of the room.

~~~in the carriage~~~

David didn't need any prior knowledge of events to know that putting Louise and Kirche in the same carriage with him was a bad idea. The air was tense enough as is, and that didn't even include Kirche's obvious efforts to seduce him at seemingly random points in the trip.

Tabitha was riding Sylphid somewhere in the sky above, and Cheri was busy directing the horses drawing the carriage, so he had nothing to distract him from the two. Luckily, he'd remembered to bring the crappy golden sword, so he didn't have to worry about the fight that would have broken out from that conversation, but Louise still looked like her spring was wound tightly, just ready to explode at the slightest provocation.

The thought of using the word "explode" to describe Louise was a dangerous game, but it really fit her the best right now. Why was she so angry anyway? It made no sense, nothing was really all that different from usual.

He should have brought his guitar, but his hindsight was 20/20. Besides, it probably would have been smashed in the fight that he knew would happen.

"Why did you even come along?" Louise asked, crossing her arms and looking out the window of the carriage.

Kirche grinned, shifting so she could sit next to David. "I want to protect my darling, though I doubt he needs it!"

David laughed, though it was cut short by a hacking cough caused by shooting pain going through his injuries.

"Are you okay?" Kirche exclaimed, scooting away from him and staring, her arms hovering in the air as if she could help.

Louise looked like she was about to do the same, but David waved them off with a hand, a pained smirk on his face as he did so.

"I'm fine, I'm fine." he assured them. "Don't worry about me, as long as I don't get hit there I'll be good." This could be a real threat if I don't move fast enough, it's bound to get crazy in there when the fighting starts…

The carriage suddenly stopped, and Cheri dropped off the front of the carriage, opening the door to the coach. "We're here." she said, and in a few minutes, everyone was out, Sylphid standing behind them, cooing lightly as the knight went through the plan.

"We're going to search through this shack for any possible evidence of where Fouquet may have gone." she said, and the group nodded.

"Oh, thank goodness I made it in time." came another voice, and the group turned in surprise at the newcomer.

There stood Longueville, standing a little into the forest and smiling, her hands clasped together over her front. "Oh, I'm sorry, did Mr. Osmond not mention that I would be waiting here?"

Cheri blinked. "I presume that you are Mrs. Longueville?" she asked, and the secretary nodded.

"Osmond felt that I should be here to oversee things." she explained. "As I dabble in earth magic myself, though I am not noble."

David nodded imperceptibly. Of course you do, Fouquet. he thought. Good, you showed up. I didn't want to go on a wild goose chase just because of an accidental change somewhere down the line.

Cheri hesitated, before nodding, turning to the shack. "Well, anyway, thank you for joining us, Mrs. Longueville." she said. David noticed that her stutter from before had vanished. Was she excited now that she was in the actual mission? "Let's begin searching. Kirche, you go first, followed by David, then Louise. Tabitha, you bring up the rear. Sylphid...just patrol the air. Mrs. Longueville and I will guard outside in case she appears."

The group nodded, Kirche leading the small group of students, much to the obvious annoyance of Louise.

When they opened the door, they were met with a cloud of dust, causing everyone to cough, other than Tabitha, who had intelligently set up a small wind spell to clear the cloud from the area.

After he stopped coughing, David thanked the girl, who simply nodded.

With the dust suitably cleared, the group entered the shack, and were immediately stopped by what sounded like an avalanche coming from outside, followed by a scream that had clearly come from Cheri.

You could have waited a little bit longer, I wasn't ready! David thought in annoyance, before mentally kicking himself. Wait, Cheri's probably hurt or worse and I'm complaining that my plan's not going according to my expectation!


	24. Matilda

Outside, the group paused, gawking at the scene.

An earth golem, similar to the one before, had appeared, towering over the shack, but not as large as the one Fouquet had summoned to take the staff. On top of it stood Longueville, an arm wrapped around the blue box holding the RPG, grinning down her glasses at the unmoving form of the musketeer, who lay on the ground, a large dent in the armor surrounding her chest and blood collecting from her head where it had hit the ground.

As Louise ran to check Cheri's condition and Tabitha prepared to fire counterspells at the golem, David stared at the knight, his eyes as wide as saucers.

 _This...This is…_ he shook his head, backing up a step, his hand instinctively reaching up to wrap around Derf's hilt.

No one had questioned the identity of the one standing atop the golem. As soon as they'd seen what had happened, it had been instantly clear to all of them. They knew that Longueville was Fouquet, and she was aware that they'd figured it out.

"This is what happens to people to chase me!" she said, laughing maniacally, taking her glasses and throwing them off, letting them fall to the ground below. "No need for these anymore, and might as well let my hair down." She pulled out the pin holding her hair up, letting it collapse around her neck, grinning madly at the efforts of the mages below.

"Wind Lance." Tabitha said, her staff pointed at the golem, and a "Fireball!" signalled Kirche doing the same, their combined attack powering towards the golem.

A simple raise of its stony hand proved their attacks futile, and Fouquet's grin didn't leave her face. "What's wrong? Can the Zero and her dog not fight?"

Louise had by now flipped Cheri over and was in the process of dragging her to the relatively safe shack, while David was still staring, his eyes seeming to quiver as he stared at the injured girl.

Cheri's chest had clearly been badly damaged, the breastplate dented beyond repair, and there was no doubt that she had suffered internal damage from the blow. That coupled with the blood pouring from a scrape on her head made it a miracle that she was even conscious.

She smiled at Louise, though her injury made her too weak to even lift her hand, which lay on the ground curled into a thumbs-up. "Do what you can." she said. "I'm useless here, but I'll live. Just make sure she can't hit me again."

Louise's expression hardened, and she wiped her hand across her face, drying the tears that had started to collect in the cusps of her eyes.

She stood up, leaving the knight to lay next to David, who was paralyzed in his place, hand still on Derf's handle, staring at the ground in front of him.

As Louise fired an explosive spell to catch the golem's attention, Cheri laughed. "You aren't a warrior, are you?" she asked him, a pained expression on her face.

David's attention broke from the ground, his head turning to stare at her. "B-But, this is…"

"Your fault?" she asked, another hacking laugh coming from her throat. "This is battle. You may be older than me, but I've seen this before. It isn't your fault. People get hurt, it's the nature of war."

David gaped, still paralyzed, and she laughed again. "You're shaking. Good, fear the enemy. If you don't fear them, you'll die. But get past that fear, fuel your anger with it. You have the strength, I know you do. So draw your sword and get the girl."

"It's time to test your resolve, partner." Derf said, and the knight acted as if it was perfectly normal, closing her eyes and letting herself relax, minimizing the aching in her body from the blow by moving as little as she could. "Let's see you put your plan into action."

David glanced at the sword, before a scream caught his attention, and his eyes widened again as the golem's arm reached toward Louise, its hand closed in a fist.

He didn't think. He just moved. He didn't care if he was doing what Saito did, or if he was further ruining his plan. He just acted without thinking, pushing Louise out of the way, before ducking and rolling out of the way himself.

The golem brought its fist down, kicking up a cloud of dust as it met the ground with a crash, but luckily, they were both unharmed.

David stood up shakily, staring blankly at the ground in front of him, then at the shocked expression on Louise's face as the student lay on the ground, staring back at him.

 _It's my fault._ he thought. _It's my fault that Cheri got hurt, I could have warned them and didn't. What's the point in following the plotline if I get the characters I didn't expect killed?_

He was brought to his senses by an explosion above his head, and as his vision swam back to reality, he stared forward.

Louise had her wand raised, and had blasted the golem's arm away from hitting him. The tears had come back to her eyes as she looked at him, breathing heavily from exhaustion at using so many consecutive spells.

"What are you doing, you dog?!" she shouted. "Are you trying to get yourself killed?!"

And in a motion he was completely unprepared for, he felt a hand hit his cheek, and his head snapped sideways.

When he turned his head to face her again, his eyes wide, he realized what had happened, as he saw her turned, her hand tilted toward the ground in a position that made it clear what he'd just experienced.

She'd slapped him.

 _This is all wrong._ he thought, staring at the girl. _She's not supposed to slap me, I'm-_

"David, get your head out of the clouds and do something!" she shouted, bringing him back to reality again.

Sylphid swooped in, and David took the chance to grab Louise by her sides and toss her up, coupled with much screaming from the girl as she was caught by Kirche. Tabitha had somehow gotten the box during the chaos, and was now holding tightly to it as Sylphid flew around the golem, spells firing from the wands of her two most common riders.

David, meanwhile, finally had gotten his head in the fight, and he drew the gold sword to block a kick from the golem, though as expected, the sword snapped on impact.

Despite the weakness of the sword, it still had the desired effect, catching the golem off-balance long enough that he could draw Derf.

The runes on his hand glowed as he ran at the golem, a feverish grin appearing on his face.

"I'm not letting you take me down." he said, and with a swipe, Derf ran through the golem's leg, with surprising ease for the size of the falchion's blade.

He ran through the gap between its legs, dodging the rock collapsing from the quickly-healing limb, though it had the desired effect, knocking Fouquet off-balance and sending her tumbling off of it, though he chose to ignore her while he dealt with the golem, leaving her sitting on the ground, confused as to why he had suddenly decided to run past her before turning around.

"David!" Louise called, jumping off with the now-unboxed Staff, a wind spell from Tabitha slowing her descent to the ground.

She ran to him, waving the staff at the golem. "How do I use this stupid thing?!" she asked as she tried to channel her magic through it.

"That's now how you use it!" he shouted, running to her and sheathing Derf so he could grab it. As he expected, his Gandalfr runes reacted, glowing white as he pressed the necessary buttons to open up the rocket launcher. "It's an RPG from my world!" he shouted, as he aimed the staff up at the golem's head. "Cover your ears!"

Louise did as he said, holding her hands over her ears as he pressed the trigger. He shouted as the rocket inside launched from the tube, sending a recoil-preventing cloud of dust shooting from the other end of the weapon.

The rocket slammed into the golem, and in an instant, the explosion activated, sending a cloud of dust and rock flying in all directions as it ripped the golem apart.

Fouquet stared as her golem disintegrated, while David dropped the rocket launcher to grab Louise, who'd collapsed from exhaustion almost as soon as he'd hit the trigger.

The thief took the chance, running for the staff as soon as David dropped it, before pointing it at him with a grin.

"Thanks for showing me how to use this!" she said, aiming it directly at him, after backing up as far as she could to avoid being hit by the explosion.

His eyes widened again, and he made to move, before shouting in pain as he felt a twinge in his ribcage where the bandages had been wrapped around his injuries.

Louise shouted his name as the thief pressed the trigger, and the world went silent.

Several seconds passed, before her grin turned to a frown, and she clicked it again. "W-What?" she asked.

David grinned. "It's a single-use only." he said, before gripping Derf and running at her, jamming the handle into her stomach with a swift movement.

Her mouth opened in surprise, and she slumped onto him, losing the strength in her legs from the force of the attack.

He held his mouth to her ear, whispering quietly so that only she could hear. "I'm not here to hurt you, Matilda." he said, and her eyes widened. "Disappear. Pretend to be dead. Go to Westwood and take Tifa somewhere the Reconquista can never find her."

"You know about-" she said, before he twisted Derf's handle, and she gasped before her eyes went half-lidded, and she finally passed out, collapsing to the ground.

As the group recollected around the now slightly more conscious form of Cheri, they stared at David, who just glanced at Fouquet and shook his head.

"She's dead." he said. "She won't be a problem anymore."

Cheri laughed as Tabitha used a miniature wind spell as a knife to cut apart the dented chestplate, revealing that the damage to her chest, which was now only covered in a thin set of binding bandages, had been less extensive than they'd thought. Apparently she just had been having issues breathing due to the dent pressing her sternum, and she was a little delirious due to a possible concussion.

"Guess I was useless...some leader I was." she said as Kirche sat her up. "How am I going to explain to Captain Agnes that I not only was out of commission immediately, but also got our target killed? Such misfortune, woe is me, all that."

Her tone made it clear that she wasn't really worried, and she smiled, holding her hand out in a thumbs-up. "Nice job, kid. You'll be a warrior yet."


	25. Sleepy Cheri

David glanced at the unmoving form of Fouquet, lying face-down on the ground, the spent RPG lying nearby. He sighed, the others watching as he went over to her and lightly tapped her side with his foot.

She didn't respond, her body going limp at his touch, and he grinned. She's really good at playing dead. he thought. Nice job, Matilda. I hope you do well wherever you go.

He looked at the others, shaking his head to signal her lack of response before walking back over to them.

"So she really is dead?" Kirche asked, tapping her bottom lip with a finger. "Odd, I'd have thought she'd last longer than that."

David grinned cheekily. "Well, I don't mean to brag, but...I happen to have hit a fatal pressure point. Even a mage can't survive their nervous system locking up."

At the blank stares he got, he sighed, looking down and shaking his head. "Right, this world's equivalent to my world's Middle Ages." he said, before tapping his head. "I shut down her brain, basically. Little more complicated than that, but that's what I did."

As if hitting someone from the front with the handle of a sword could do that, but he knew their anatomical science was severely lacking, so he assumed it would be fine.

He glanced at Cheri, whose eyes had narrowed as she scanned him. She was the biggest worry, being the one with the most combat experience and potentially the most understanding of how human bodies worked.

She stared at him for a few moments, before laughing, struggling to stand, her weight draped over Kirche's shoulder. "I'd say I'll have to remember that, but I don't think I'm going to last long with this head injury, so I'll probably forget most of what happened here." She grinned. "I'll have to rely on you guys to fill me in."

The group nodded, and headed back to the surprisingly undamaged carriage, which had somehow avoided being smashed in the battle. They left Fouquet's body lying on the road, seeing no need to take it. After all, what's dead is dead, no point carrying around a corpse in an already cramped carriage.

Kirche had taken the reins of the carriage, following Sylphid's shape in the sky to guide their way. Inside, Louise sat across from David and Cheri, the knight resting with her eyes half open, staring with a giddy expression at the back of the carriage. Her dented chestplate lay on the floor, though she didn't seem all that bothered being left with just bindings on. If anything, she looked more relaxed than normal...though that may have been due to her brain being addled by the concussion.

One of the carriage's wheels ran over a bump in the road, sending the half-conscious knight sprawling sideways, surprising David as her head hit his lap.

Louise growled at the odd display, before David waved his hands to signal that he wasn't enjoying the contact, reaching an arm under Cheri's head to lift her back up.

Instead of complying, the knight remained stiff, her head staying obstinately down on his lap, a senile smile playing on her face. "I'm delirious, I'm not thinking straight, forgive my bad decision-making! It's my messed up brain!" she said in a horribly disconnected singsong voice as he tried to force her off of him, before she reached a hand over her head and turned it back, placing her arm under his legs and promptly passing out.

"..." David tapped the side of her head facing up a couple times. "She's out cold." he said. "Umm…"

Louise crossed her arms with a hmph. "I'll allow it...but only because she needs rest. Who knows what damage she took from that blow."

David nodded, and Derf popped out of its sheath as it randomly did.

"I overheard some stuff about this one while we were leaving the office." it said, and the two currently awake passengers looked at him. "Apparently she was always difficult to handle, even to Captain Agnes."

"Your point?" David asked, raising an eyebrow, and the sword laughed.

"My point is, she likes something about this situation, and I'd wager it's not Louise's presence...not that that's a bad thing!" The last part he added quickly at Louise's glare.

"So…?" David asked, not quite getting the sword's meaning.

Derf sighed. "So, it means your influence reached someone else, partner." it said. "I don't remember if I've said this before, but you have a knack for changing people quickly, even after only briefly meeting them."

David waved a hand. "Doubtful, Louise has been around me more than anyone and hasn't changed at all."

"Was that an insult, coming from the dog?" Louise asked, and David eeped as she procured her riding crop.

"N-No, it wasn't!" he said. "Change isn't always good!"

Louise nodded, the offending tool-turned-weapon placed back in the pocket inside her cloak. "Good." She rested her cheek on her fist, looking out the window and ignoring the two other passengers.

Cheri mumbled something in her sleep, pulling David's attention down to her, and he smiled, lightly rubbing the side of her head and pulling some of the hazel strands of her hair out of her face.

She giggled in her sleep, a slightly creepy grin forming over her face, and he chuckled. She was acting like a child right now...that concussion must have done some powerful work on her.

Louise glanced over at him, silently watching him petting the knight's head. He didn't seem bothered by - or interested in, for that matter - the fact that she wore nothing but some bandages on her upper body.

The pinkette turned her head, her expression softening into not quite a smile, but not as angry as before. "What are you doing?" she asked, her tone much calmer than before.

"Hm?" David asked, before bringing himself back to reality, his hand pausing as he gazed at his summoner. A quiet complaint from the knight convinced him to return his hand to her head, petting her as he looked at Louise.

"Oh." he said, smiling and looking down at Cheri, before looking back up. "It's something I did for my little sister back home. Whenever she got mad, I'd lay her on my lap like this and rub her head. She'd fall asleep really quickly when I did it, so it really helped my parents a lot when I did it. She's only 6, at that unruly age, and she pretty much only listened to me."

He sighed sadly, looking down at the knight. "I wonder if my parents have figured out how to control her by now, it's been so long since I was there…"

Louise blinked, frowning. "What are they like? Your family. I bet you love them, I'm sorry for-"

David raised his hand. "Don't apologize, it wasn't your fault. I just happened to be the one the portal chose." He smiled at her. "My family? I've got both my parents, and three younger sisters. I don't have any kind of sad backstory or anything, it's pretty normal. My parents' names are Eren and Karen, and my sisters, from oldest to youngest, are Mary, Rose, and Sheena. I'm the only son in the family, and the oldest sibling."

"So you're the heir?" Louise asked. It was odd, talking about his family when he was even farther away from them than she was from hers.

He laughed, waving the hand not on Cheri's head. "My world, or at least, my nation, doesn't have any kind of heirs or anything. Kids just go off and do their own thing when they become adults. This world is mostly matriarchal, right?"

Louise shook her head. "Just Tristain, the other nations are usually lead by kings, and Romalia by the Pope." she corrected, and he nodded.

"I see. Well, in my world, we only have about...I think 5 or so countries with monarchs, and few of those actually hold any power. Our world has hundreds of nations, whose leaders are elected by the people."

"...I see. Your world sounds...strange." she said, and he laughed.

"To me, your world is strange, I'm not yet used to being here." he replied. "Though I have to admit, Henrietta will make a good queen...from my first impression of her, at least."

Louise tilted her head, before nodding, her face lighting in a smile. "Yeah, she will. Whoever she ends up being wed to is sure to have a good reign with her by his side."

David laughed. "Agre-"

He was interrupted by Derf popping out again. "That'll be David!" he said, before he was forced back into his sheath by the hand of a suddenly irritated familiar.

"Quiet or I'll shatter you myself, you annoying sword." he said.


	26. Back to the Academy

**Thank you for 50 reviews!**

* * *

Derf's quip about his OTP had luckily blown over Louise's head, and the rest of the trip was spent in relative silence, barring the occasional snoring punctuated by giggles from the delusional girl sleeping on David's lap.

Nobody was really worried about her as of yet. She seemed stable enough, and it was better than having her barking at them the whole time, which Derf had implied would have happened otherwise. Let her rest, Agnes can deal with her recuperation later, and no one here had medical training anyway, other than David's CPR skills, which were next to useless when his first aid kit was in his backpack back at the Academy.

Anyway, now the academy walls were visibly growing as they approached it. David watched the trees fade into the large empty region surrounding the campus with a smile, glancing at the now-sleeping Louise across the seats from him, before looking back out the window.

He blinked as a messenger pigeon, the one he recognized as the big one he'd chosen to take the Mott letter to Agnes with, came flying by, slipping through the open window and landing on Cheri's head with a flutter of feathers, the knight not paying the slightest bit of attention.

He stared at the pigeon, which sported a paper tied to its leg. It held the leg up to him, keeping balanced on its perch with the other foot.

He looked at Louise before reaching to the pigeon, which stayed diligently still as he untied the ribbon holding the paper down, unrolling it and looking it over.

It was written, oddly, in rough English...Albionian, perhaps? Henrietta had mentioned that she could read and speak the tongue, which was similar to English, and had said that Agnes knew a small bit of it. He'd had Tabitha write it in Tristainian. Had Henrietta dropped a hint accidentally that 'Odekoron Knight' did not know how to read Tristainian?

From the barely-readable chicken scratch handwriting, he doubted that this was written by Henrietta. Besides, he'd wanted her not to message him before he got to her. Nevertheless, whoever had written it, there was no harm in reading it.

" _To the man who called himself Odekoron Knight,_

 _We of the royal guard have the deepest gratitude to you, for revealing the plot the man formerly known as Count Mott had been hiding away from us. We did not suspect him in the slightest, for he was well-known as a shrewd but honorable man. It is with great thanks that I, Captain Agnes de Milan, Chevalier to Her Highness Henrietta de Tristain, send this message._

 _I know not your real name or face, Knight of the Odekoron (a name I do not recognize, my deepest apologies), but I am personally grateful for your help. After reading the letters, it was discovered that he was planning an attack on the Princess when she came to the exhibition...an attack that your forewarning prevented._

 _As it stands, we have incurred a great debt to you, but if you are still actively protecting the royal family through this espionage work, we would be eternally grateful if you would share your discoveries with us. We do not require your name, nor your face, for we understand the importance of hidden identities in work such as yours, and this is not a demand. It is simply a personal request._

 _I have stated this before and will continue to say it, but we thank you for what you did._

 _Your confidante,_

 _-Agnes Chevalier de Milan_

 _PS. Your pigeon has been pecking at my hair strands since it came here. This bird is annoying._ "

David chuckled at the postscript, before glancing at Louise and folding the paper, pressing it into his pocket, careful not to disturb the sleeping Cheri as he did so. The pigeon cocked its head, staring at him, and he shrugged.

"I don't have any paper, so I can't send a return message." he said apologetically to the bird, which simply lowered its leg, and with a beat of its wings, flew off out of the window. He watched it fly away, smiling until it vanished. _I don't plan on messaging Agnes again for a while anyway, not until New Divide's well-established._

He'd have plenty of time to deal with it after speaking with Osmond though, and he had to report to Henrietta that Fouquet had been dealt with. He hated lying to the girl, one of the most innocent in the series, but while Matilda was low-priority, he still would have felt guilty if he didn't pretend she was dead.

~~~In Osmond's office~~~

The Fouquet capture group stood in front of the principal, minus their temporary captain, who'd been taken into the infirmary as soon as they arrived. The look on Agnes' face as she stood behind them in the office was as stony as ever, but her eyes betrayed her worry for the younger knight.

Colbert stood near her, much to her annoyance. She didn't like the teacher, for whatever reason. She had no real motivation for her distrust, but it was obvious from the way she glanced at him occasionally. Perhaps simply his pacifistic nature grated with her tendency towards violence, or she had some buried reaction to seeing his face.

"What are you looking at?" she asked, and David smiled sheepishly and turned his head to face Osmond, who'd begun talking.

"Well, congratulations, everyone!" he said, patting the Staff of Destruction, which had been laid on the desk in front of them. Tabitha had had enough sense to take it from the scene of the fight, a decision that made David worry quite a bit due to the close proximity to Fouquet's body...but other than a sideways glance, the Gallian Chevalier had not taken any measures to check that she was dead.

Was his word really enough for the naturally curious blue-haired girl to ignore basic protocol? He doubted it, but he had no reason to suspect her. Right now, she was on no sort of mission, she was only at the academy to keep her out of Joseph's hair, from what he understood.

Osmond clapped his hands together. "Naturally, all of you will be rewarded for your efforts...save for David, as he is not a nobleman."

Louise and Kirche had shocked expressions on their faces, while Tabitha merely raised an eyebrow, already buried in another book, staff held loosely in her other hand, as if she'd expected the news.

"But he did more than all of us!" Kirche protested. "He's the one who used the Staff to take down the golem and kill Fouquet!"

Osmond nodded, lacing his fingers together in thought. "However-"

David raised his hand to interject. "I'm fine with that. I'm just a familiar, after all." he said, smiling. "I was happy to help, once Louise slapped some sense into me."

His smile dropped, and he looked down at the ground. _That's right. Louise reminded me of it. I'm not just watching an anime, having fun while the characters go through their struggles. These aren't just characters, they're actual people. This world follows the plot line, but it is not Familiar of Zero…_

He was snapped from his reverie by a hand on his shoulder, and he looked to his side to meet the worried face of Louise. He smiled, shaking his head to clear his thoughts, before coughing into a fist to clear his throat. "Anyway...I'd like to ask you something alone, Mr. Osmond, if that's alright with you."

Osmond raised an eyebrow, before nodding, waving off the mages and knight in the room.

When the door closed, leaving just him and the principal, plus Colbert standing in the corner, David nodded.

He was about to speak, before Osmond cut him off. "I presume you're going to say that you are not from this world, and that this staff is from your world?" he asked, and David blinked in surprise, before nodding.

"...Right. I'm aware that it's pretty much common knowledge among the students and staff here that I am from a different world, but I wasn't aware that there were other things summoned from there. This Staff is-"

"Speak the truth here, David James Wilson." Osmond said in an unnaturally angry tone for the optimistic old man, sending David a step back in surprise.

"Wh-"

"I am sure that you are aware of this, but I am the most powerful Square-class mage in this academy, and there are few even in Tristain who can best me. Likewise, I have lived a long time. I can see when someone is being untruthful."

David blinked, before sighing, nodding in relent. "Right, right…" he said. He hadn't expected to keep up the charade for long without the master of a tiny mouse familiar finding out...but perhaps he could still keep up his secrets through omission of truth. "I do know that other items, and sometimes, people, have come from my world to yours over the years. I've done my research."

Two statements that were unrelated, but independently, both held true. Thus he hoped the man would not detect the lie.

"So, what is it you wanted to ask me?" Luckily, Osmond seemed satisfied with his response.

David nodded. "Well, it's about the owner of this staff, which in my world is known as a rocket launcher...And about the nature of Gandalfr that you and Mr. Colbert have no doubt been researching since you found out what the runes stand for."


	27. The First Message

The old mage gazed at David with hardened eyes, while Colbert just watched the two curiously, unsure if he should be involved in the conversation or not.

"So, you know about Gandalfr." Osmond said, and David nodded, raising his left hand to show off the ᚷᚢᚾᛞᛟᛚᚠ runes.

"I noticed that the other familiars had them, but they were all unique." he said. "Like Sylphid's are on the bottom of her neck...I think it's pronounced 'Ingep'?" He rubbed the back of his hand sheepishly. "I haven't yet memorized all the runic pronunciations, so I'm not entirely sure."

Osmond nodded. "Tabitha is Gallian, so her familiar is also Gallian, and their familiar runes are slightly different from ones such as Mr. Gramont's Verdandi. You are a bit of an exception, as Gandalfr is-"

"A Brimiric Rune, I know." he interjected, and Osmond blinked in surprise. "One of the four legendary familiars. I...kind of borrowed Mr. Colbert's book of historical runes." He turned to Colbert and grinned. "Sorry, I just didn't want to have to explain myself."

Colbert blinked. "It's alright, I understand." he said, and David's grin widened. Colbert was kind, he doubted he could even get angry, save for the couple times he did in the anime.

The book thing hadn't been a lie either. During one of Louise's classes, he'd gone to Colbert's lab to find the book, so it still held true - though he knew plenty about Gandalfr already. Even so, he still had questions.

"So you are aware of its status in myths. I presume that means you know about Miss Valliere's elemental affinity?"

David nodded. "I do. I don't quite understand Void magic yet, there's still a lot of things that are unexplainable, but I do get the basic premise. I did want to ask you some questions about Brimir, since it seems that he's the connection between this staff and my runes."

Osmond nodded. "That's right, as you are not from this world, you are unaware of Brimirism and the Emperor's Summons." he mused. "Mr. Colbert, you would probably be better at explaining this than I."

Colbert nodded, stepping up to them and nodding to David, a small smile on his

"All five nations of Halkeginia have one dominant religion, called Brimirism." he said. "Romalia is the seat of Pope Vittorio Serevare, the current leader of the Church of the Primogenitor."

David nodded, quietly listening. He knew somewhat how Brimirism worked, but the anime didn't give all that much information. It could potentially be invaluable to hear about it from someone who actually followed it.

"We believe in a female deity, known as the Primogenitor, who created the world and designed the animals, plants, and of course, people, who live on it."

David nodded, crossing his arms. "My world has hundreds of religions, but the three most popular ones are all monotheistic...though I don't think any religion in my world has a female Creator." he said.

Colbert blinked, but that was a question for another day. "Brimir was the first Void mage. He lived over 6,000 years ago and is believed to have been given his magic by the Primogenitor herself." he explained.

In other words, your typical red herring super-epic character from long ago, who has little to no presence or plot relation to the current series. David thought.

"He was the mage who first developed the Summon Servant spell." Osmond said, and Colbert nodded.

"It's...not well-recorded how he came up with it, but he refined it and it became the runic system, which also developed into our modern spell-casting language."

"Like the chanting I sometimes overhear from people training near the familiar field?" David asked, and Colbert nodded.

"Yes, it's a language that Brimir discovered works extremely accurately for what magic requires. As far as I know, every country, even the elves, use it."

"Elves?" David asked. "There's elves too?"

Colbert shifted uncomfortably where he stood. "I probably shouldn't have mentioned them…" he said, and Osmond nodded.

"Humans and elves have very strained relations, David." the principal stated. "Don't worry about them, we don't bother them if they don't bother us."

David nodded. "Well...curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back." he said, and the two mages looked at him in confusion. He laughed, waving a hand. "It's a saying in my world."

With a nod of understanding, Osmond sat up a little straighter and nodded. "Well, was that all the information you wanted?" he asked. "You seem to be very interested in our world's history, any particular reason?"

His tone wasn't particularly suspicious, but David had a genuine excuse anyway. "In my world, we don't have any sort of magic or familiars, and your runes are similar to those of an ancient civilization from my world's equivalent of your continent." he said. "So now that I'm stuck in a world that's full of it, wouldn't it make sense that I'd want to know everything I can? I'm a naturally curious person after all, this world just sets me off."

Osmond raised an eyebrow, but chuckled. "You are an amusing one." he said, to which David grinned and turned around to leave.

After the door closed, Colbert turned to face Osmond. "Well?" he asked. "What do you think? He doesn't seem that suspicious to me, maybe we were reading too much into things…"

Osmond shook his head, his eyes hardening at the now-closed wooden door. "Perhaps I was wrong after all, this isn't the first time my hunches proved incorrect. He seems genuinely curious about our world. Understandable, he's still a boy, after all, a world so vastly different from his own must be wondrous to see." He laughed, his face softening to his normal optimistic look, his eyes closing to enunciate the baseless contentment he often had. "I wish I was that young again, I would certainly not complain if I had the energy he does."

Colbert smiled, shaking his head and sighing. "David seems to be quite popular among the students as well...and not just in Louise's year. I've heard Guiteau mention that Frances de Erikson has started watching him from afar."

Osmond laughed again, practically shaking with excitement. "Whether it's intentional or not, David's presence is making fundamental changes to the society of this academy...And I quite like the direction things are going."

~~~In Louise's room~~~

David sat on his hay pile, tuning his guitar as Derf leaned on the wall next to him, chattering about some story it vaguely remembered from some Gandalfr a thousand years ago.

"Then the guy tried to hit on her or something, I can't really remember, so she decided she'd had enough, and when she drew me, the innkeeper panicked and pulled out a pistol."

"Mmhmm…" the current Gandalfr said, barely listening...which evidently just annoyed the weapon.

"Hey, this is important! That's the story of how one of my partners died! You're gaining in popularity now, it's only a matter of time before the same thing may happen to you!"

David sighed, rolling his eyes to look at the sword. "Derf, you have some serious issues understanding how romance works." he said, before shrugging. "Well, you are a chunk of metal that somehow gained a soul, so I suppose complex human emotion isn't your strong suit."

Before Derf could counter, his wielder sighed again, going back to his guitar and talking as he worked. "You're lucky Louise is back in class right now, if she heard you talking about romance again she'd kill both of us."

Before he could continue, he heard a knock on the door. He glanced at it quickly, before going back to his work. It was probably something for Louise.

After a few seconds, the knocking didn't stop, and he grit his teeth in annoyance, before setting his guitar on the floor and walking over. "I'm coming, I'm coming." he said, turning the knob. "Louise isn't here right-"

"Oh, David!" came the voice of the familiar maid standing in front of him, and he blinked, before smiling, relaxing where he stood.

"Oh, hey, Siesta!" he said, stepping out of the way so she could enter the room. "Haven't seen you in a while. Louise isn't here."

Siesta nodded. "I know, I came to deliver a message addressed to you." she said, holding up a folded piece of paper in her hand. It looked like it had been rolled...probably by a pigeon. "A dove came to the pigeon coop with it attached to its back. It's in fancy handwriting, but I didn't open it…"

He nodded, accepting the letter and glancing at the address. The handwriting was indeed fancy,the letters of his full name written in very neat cursive. "Thank you." he said, and she bowed, smiling before she left him to read the letter.

As the door closed, he opened it, a curious hum coming from Derf at its contents.

"To David,

I know you told me to call you New Divide, but for now, since you haven't yet sent me your first message, I'll just use your real name. Oh, and of course, I will use Albionian, since you said that's closest to your native Eenglish." He smiled at the nearly-correct spelling.

"The purpose of this message is to...well, acknowledge that I trust you. Fouquet attacked exactly as you predicted, and Agnes saw no sign that you could have been working with Reconquista, so the slightly crazy-sounding claim you made that you know how events will go seems to have been proven true. I didn't tell Agnes, or anyone, I promise! Even my parents do not know about this.

Speaking of Agnes...I'm laughing as I write this, but apparently the pigeon you sent with the Mott tip-off stole a pair of her armor's more...private padding sections as it was leaving...I do hope it dropped them before it found its way to you, but it was simply too funny not to tell you. Did you possibly give that pigeon some of your predictive power?

But moving on...You're probably still setting up your plan, but is there anything I can do to help right now? At the moment, things in the palace are a bit shaky due to the incident...but I want to help in any way I can.

With amazement,

Henrietta de Tristain"

David read over the letter a couple times, spending a couple seconds trying to figure out what she meant by the armor padding.

"Armor has padding?" he asked aloud, and Derf decided to reply.

"Female knights do not wear undergarments, so they need padding." it explained. "Panties are rare among commoners and unheard of among knights."

"...I did not need to know that." David responded, shaking the sudden recollection of a particularly graphic panel of Odekoron Knight from his head. "Couldn't you have just told me it was just added insulation or something?"

The sword laughed at him. "But that would be dishonest."


	28. Kuuderes are Cute

After writing a return letter to Henrietta with his report on the Fouquet mission, conveniently hiding the fact that she was not dead, and giving further instructions for New Divide (and a little quip about Agnes' misfortune with birds), he found the pigeon he'd used last time, which cocked its head at him as if it recognized him.

He grinned at the bird, which obediently sat still as he tied the message to its leg. "You've caused quite a bit of trouble for poor Agnes, haven't you?" he asked, laughing as the bird cooed as if it knew what he was saying. "Smug little bastard, you enjoy messing with people, don't you?" He tightened the knot on the ribbon, sending the bird off through the window of the coop. "Good luck...wreak havoc on Agnes' stuff!" he said to the bird, before laughing and turning to head back to the room.

Louise had come back earlier, but he'd pulled the bathroom card to get out of talking to her for a while, and to send the message, but now he had to see her.

Luckily, she seemed relatively calm, back on her bed with her book, a pose that reminded him he still needed to ask Tabitha to teach him how to read the language.

"What did you talk about?" the girl asked as he sat down and picked up his guitar, and he looked at her.

"Just some questions about the Staff." he said. "I got what I wanted to know. What about you? How was class after you got back?"

She smirked at him, a soft expression he still wasn't used to seeing on her face, and raised a hand, her index and middle fingers up in a V-sign.

He laughed at the expression. He'd forgotten that he'd taught her the sign, and she hadn't used it since then, so he'd assumed she'd forgotten it too.

"I heard from Kirche that there's supposed to be a ball in celebration of the mission succeeding." he said, and Louise glanced at him, narrowing her eyes in suspicion.

"You just went to the bathroom, why were you with Kirche?" she asked, and he laughed.

"This is Kirche we're talking about. Of course she was hanging around the boys' bathroom."

Louise raised an eyebrow, before shrugging. "Well, that does seem like something she'd do."

She sat up suddenly, looking out the window at the darkening sky. "Come to think of it, it's pretty soon. Get out, I want to change myself today."

He blinked, confused. This had been the first time she'd even suggested not having him change her for everything, a routine he had been getting used to lately.

At the glare she shot for him taking slightly longer than she wanted, he quickly stood up, wrapping Derf's sheath around his shoulder as he always did and headed out, leaving the guitar behind. He just wanted to train for now, and think about some things.

As he walked to the training field he'd found, complete with straw practice dummies, his face hardened, his intentions clear.

 _I can't just play around anymore._ he thought. _These are real people, not characters. New Divide is going to need some heavy modification...but for now, there's no threat, I can hold that off for when I'm well-established with Henrietta._

As he unsheathed Derf to start hacking away at a dummy, his runes remained dull, as he wasn't actually fighting anything real.

That was good, he was intentionally training without the use of Gandalfr. He was certainly not going to rely on it alone. Even without his newfound resolve, relying on the runes was a bad idea.

As the light of the sunset left the sky, he became aware of a presence nearby, and halted his movements, the sharp edge of the falchion blade tapping the straw dummy.

He turned around, blinking as he noticed Tabitha leaning on the wall of the tower nearby, a book in hand. Her eyes were focused above the book's pages, her expression as blank as always.

He lowered Derf, sheathing the sword, before walking over to the quiet girl, waving to her.

She glanced at him, before closing her book, signalling that she'd acknowledged his greeting.

"Training?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Yeah, I wanted to get out some before the ball started." he said, shrugging. "I like quiet areas, they give me room to think."

She raised an eyebrow at the similarity to her own situation. "You plan to attend?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Well, if it was up to me, I probably wouldn't, but if I skipped out on it, Louise would probably kill me."

Tabitha chuckled at the thought, nodding her head almost imperceptibly. "She isn't the kindest master, is she?" she asked, and David laughed.

"No, she's not, but she's not as bad as I expected." At the questioning gaze she gave him, he shook his head. "She threatens me pretty often, but it's rare for her to actually go through with her punishments."

Tabitha nodded. "No matter how it may seem, she cares deeply for you." she said, and David stared at her.

He waved a hand and laughed. "You're a very perceptive girl, Tabitha, but sometimes, your hunches aren't quite right."

She shook her head. "I am not wrong." she replied. "You may not see it, but everyone else does. She punishes you because she does care, not because she doesn't."

 _That was...probably the most words Tabitha's ever said in a straight sentence._ he thought, before sighing. "I'll take your word for it, then…"

She nodded, before turning to walk away from the field. "The ball has begun now." she said. "No time to bother changing, let's go."

David laughed, following behind her. "Yeah, and I'd rather not take my sweater off, it's too cold to just wear a suit or whatever it is the male students are wearing."

"Sweater?" Tabitha asked, and he laughed, picking up the hood of his hoodie with two fingers.

"It's basically a warm shirt to be worn over another shirt. It helps block out cold. Like a coat but not as stuffy."

"Why would something to be used in cold weather be called a 'sweater'?" she asked curiously.

He blinked. "I...have no idea." he said honestly.

She nodded, and they went silent as they walked to the entrance of the tower hosting the ballroom.

Tabitha broke off from him to put her staff and book in her room, which David had not yet visited. Not that he wanted to anytime soon, so he ended up walking to the ballroom alone.

It was probably for the best anyway, if Louise saw him walking with Tabitha of all people, she'd probably freak out and start blowing things up like usual.

As he entered the ballroom, he looked around to see if he could pick out faces he'd recognize. He saw Kirche, clearly flaunting her outfit in front of a bunch of guys, as he expected, and nearby, Guiche was in the exact same situation, with swapped genders.

In the anime, Tabitha had been getting a chunk of meat that was probably heavier than she was, but since she was still coming here, that didn't happen, so instead, it was Malicorne at the buffet.

Surprisingly enough, he was getting a smaller piece than Tabitha did in the anime. How much did she even eat, anyway? David couldn't recall any time he'd actually seen her eating anything.


	29. The Ball of Frigg

"Is it really a good idea to have me with you?" Derf asked as David headed to the balcony at the other side of the room. "I mean, it's a formal occasion, and I am a weapon."

David laughed. "Like you ever cared about time or place." he retorted.

His attention on the sword meant that he wasn't watching his path, and he accidentally bumped into someone.

He turned to face the girl he'd run into. "Oh, sorry!" he said, backing up a step at the glare she gave him. "I wasn't paying attention…"

She didn't respond, and he continued walking, before he stopped in his step as she said his name.

"You're David, aren't you?" she asked, and he turned around.

"Yes?" he said, before blinking. "Oh, you're...Kelly, right?" He vaguely recognized the brunette from when he'd duelled Guiche. He hadn't seen her since then though, he'd almost forgotten about her.

She blinked. "You...know my name?" she asked, staring. "When...When did I-"

"I could hear Guiche screaming it across the field the night before I duelled him. Remember that whole mess?"

She blinked, before her mouth opened in realization. "Oh...I forgot about that! You're the one who helped me notice how much of an idiot he is!"

David laughed at the thought, nodding in response to her words. "Yeah, I suppose I am...Though it seems that Montmorency and the others haven't learned." He glanced over at the crowd surrounding the Gramont heir. "Honestly, who would fall for an arrogant moron like him? I can't see it…"

Kelly nodded rapidly. "I know, I was so stupid thinking he was being honest!" she exclaimed, before blinking, and in the blink of an eye, she seemed to shrink, looking nervously at the ground. "Um...About that...Thanks, really. If it wasn't for you, I'd-"

"Eventually figure it out." he interrupted, and she looked at him. "I can't pretend I know anything about you other than your name," A complete truth, she was never mentioned after the duel. "...but you're pretty smart, as far as I can tell just by looking at you. You'd have realized it with or without my help. And I didn't really do anything but point Montmorency to him, he did all the work himself."

She smiled, shaking her head. "You also showed him up in that duel, nobody's done that before." she replied. "Umm...Sorry for not remembering that as soon as I saw you walk in."

David blinked. "About that, if you didn't remember, how did you know my name? I don't recall ever telling you it anyway."

She stared at him, before laughing. "You don't realize the impact you made during the Exhibition, do you?" she asked. "I doubt anyone doesn't know your name after that, and the Fouquet thing you helped solve right after."

He was silent for a few moments as he processed this. _Did I...accidentally make myself popular?_ he thought. _Hopefully this doesn't mess things up too badly…_

"Really?" he asked, laughing sheepishly. "I was just singing a song from my world, that's all."

"A song that even affected the Princess." pointed out a familiar quiet voice, and he turned around, smiling at the newcomer to the conversation.

"Welcome to the ball, Tabitha." he said, quickly looking her over. Evidently, despite how she's insisted there wasn't much time left, she'd still changed into a dress, though it was more modest than the one she'd had in the anime. It was a simple teal green getup, not loose-fitting and not tight on her. If anything, she made it look quite natural...Then again, anything Tabitha wore would look natural.

Tabitha smiled at him, nodding to acknowledge Kelly next to him. "Louise hasn't arrived?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"No, and I have no idea where she would be." he said, looking around. "Weird, I got kicked out almost an hour ago, what's taking her so long?"

His question was answered oddly quickly when someone near the entrance shouted. "Hey, there she is! Zero's here!"

David and the two girls turned to look, and he chuckled at the sight.

She didn't look all that bad, in a frilly pink dress that was clearly specially made to fit her washboard shape, though to him, it looked unnatural, like she was trying to make a statement that didn't need to be said.

Several boys stared at her as she walked past them, heading directly to David, as she'd done with Saito in the alternate scene, though now, she seemed slightly annoyed...probably due to the fact that he had multiple girls around him.

Sensing her irritation, Kelly backed off, vanishing into the crowd somewhere, while Tabitha just stepped back to give her access to her familiar.

"Fine feathers make a fine bird." Derf said, popping up from its sheath, exactly as it had done in the same scene, though they were in the middle of the room instead of at the balcony since David hadn't quite made it that far before being interrupted by Kelly.

"Shut up." Louise said, and it closed itself with an apology.

She glanced at Tabitha. "I thought you weren't coming." she said, and Tabitha simply shrugged, walking away, presumably to get some food...something David still wasn't sure she ever actually did, given how small she was.

After a few seconds, Louise glared at him. "Well?" she asked, and he blinked.

"What?" He knew what she was trying to do, but despite the fact that it wouldn't hurt anything to play along immediately, it was honestly more fun to pretend he was unaware.

He looked up as the lights dimmed, raising an eyebrow at the obvious meaning of the change. "Ah, I see." he said, before bending over in a very exaggerated bow. "Want to dance?" he asked.

Louise looked down at him. "That sounded very sarcastic...But it wouldn't bother me. Just this once." She copied his bow with a more sincere curtsy, and they both stood.

He grinned as everyone else in the room started dancing (well, those who actually found a partner). "Why not let me teach you a dance from my world?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Is this your way of admitting you don't know how to waltz?" she asked, and he laughed.

"...Basically, yes. But to be fair, salsa is much more fun."

She hesitated for a few moments, before nodding. "Alright, teach me this 'salsa'." she said.

He nodded, and got into the stance he remembered from the one salsa class he'd taken years before, before showing her the basic steps of the dance.

As they practiced, getting a few stares from the people around them, they talked about the mission that this ball was being held as a result of, David noticeably embarrassed at how he'd frozen up so quickly.

"Look, I understand." Louise said, smiling as he caught her after she tripped on a step. "Not everybody's used to battle, and you'd never been in a real fight before. Guiche didn't really count since nobody really got hurt."

"I know, but it still feels like I screwed up. Cheri got hurt, and I was almost too late to save you."

"But you did save me, and that's enough." she replied. "And you snapped out of it eventually, and were able to kill Fouquet."

"Yeah, after you slapped me…" _Which was completely backwards, but I guess it did have the right result._

Louise laughed, looking down at her feet under her dress to make sure she wouldn't fall again, before her smile dropped. "Hey, David…" she said.

He blinked at the use of his name. "What is it? Something wrong?"

She shook her head. "Are you...trying to go back to your world?" she asked, and he hesitated at the tone in her voice, before nodding.

"Yes, I am." he replied simply. No reason to lie here, after all.

She looked at him with an expression that he could only call sadness, though he wasn't sure why. Even though they were a little closer to equals than than she was with Saito at this point, she still usually just wanted him away when he wasn't playing his songs.

"Why are you helping me?" she asked suddenly, after she'd finally gotten used to the steps enough that she could follow along with him. "I've done nothing for you except whipping and hitting you, yet you still protect me."

He grinned. "Because I'm your familiar." he replied simply.

She tilted her head. "Well, obviously, I'm your master, but there has to be some other-"

He raised a hand to stop her. "Correction. I may be your familiar, but you are not my master."


	30. A Promise to a Thief

The half-elf tilted her head curiously as the green-haired thief packed away what little possessions the two shared. "Matilda, where are we going? Why do we have to leave?"

The woman looked at her, a concerned expression on her face. She set down the pack she'd been filling and stepped to the shorter girl, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking directly into her eyes, a soft expression on her normally hardened face. "Tiffania, I know this place is special to you, but the Reconquista knows you exist now."

The hybrid held her hands together at her chest, staring at her guardian. "But, how would they know? And why would they care, they never cared before…"

"I don't know either, but just before I took the Staff I was contacted by one of their spies in Tristain. They almost forced me to join their group to protect you."

Tiffania blinked, confused by the urgency in her voice, the generally optimistic girl uncertain about the danger of the situation. "Almost? What changed?"

In a flash, the person formerly known as Fouquet had pulled a piece of paper out of some unseen pocket in her cloak. "I met someone who is willing to help us, and who knows about you. He sent this letter by pigeon to me last night."

She handed the younger girl the paper, and Tiffania unfolded it, looking inside at the somewhat messily-written handwriting, in rough Albionian, or fluent English, depending on which side of the World Door you're from.

" _To Matilda (and Tifa, since you're probably also reading this by now, if my hunch is correct),_

 _Thanks for listening to me when I told you to play dead, it really made things easier when the rest of the group took my word for it. I know I probably was rushing and rattling off things you didn't understand, and I probably seem suspicious due to how I suddenly brought up Tifa like that. Oh, is it alright to call her that? It's a bit long-winded calling her Tiffania all the time…_

 _Anyway, now that you're out of the picture, I can tell you more about what I know and why I saved you. Well...I already gave a basic explanation to an honestly more important player in the plan, so I'll just skip out on the whole explanation and just tell you that I can see events taking place in the future. In a world of magic, I hope that's explanation enough._

 _Anyway, I know that your thievery is due to your desire to protect Tifa, as your adoptive sister. You're not a bad person, and despite the quite convincing act you put on when we fought, I could tell that that wasn't the real you. I know you would never willingly attack a country that has little to do with you or work for the rebellious organization trying to control your home country._

 _Sorry if I'm being presumptive, by the way, and if I'm rushing things a bit. Louise keeps bugging me about something and I'm rushing to write this so she does-_ " A blot of ink cut off the end of the word.

" _That was me hiding this paper under my guitar case so she wouldn't see it, sorry about that. She's asleep now, and the light from the moons is enough that I can finish this thing._

 _Anyway, I know there's still a lot I have to explain, but for now, I'll have to leave it up in the air. My plan can't go too far off base and spilling everything in one letter could be dangerous. I'm not going to say my name here just in case it's intercepted, and if you don't mind, just don't tell Tifa my real name._

 _I really am trying to make the best for everyone, including you too. Honestly considering your life so far, you may need help more than anyone...though sorry again if I'm assuming too much about you._

 _Well, I'm exhausted now and I really don't want to risk leaving this overnight just in case Louise wakes up first, so I'm ending this here. Don't reply back, that could be a nightmare if one of the royal guards still stationed here found it. After Mott got sacked, they do random checks on incoming and outgoing letters...I know how to bypass the checks, but you wouldn't._

 _Best wishes and good luck finding a place to stay (I suggest somewhere in Romalia, I've heard they're quite willing to take in people who regret their sins). Don't worry about Reconquista. I'll deal with them. Oh, and there's one thing I want to request, as a personal favor. There's going to be a war with Albion eventually...I'd like Tifa to come back to Westwood, at least just for a couple days, during the big battle (you'll know it when you hear about it). It may be nothing, but I may need her help if I'm still around by then._

 _Best wishes,_

 _New Divide_ "

Tiffania read the letter several times, the confused look on her face changing only slightly by the time she gave the letter back. "So, this...New Divide, he's going to help us?" she asked. "Why would he do that, isn't he loyal to Tristain?"

Matilda shrugged. "I think his loyalty is to himself, and it just happens to align with Tristain as of now." she replied. "As for why he's helping us...I don't have an answer for that. Maybe he's just a nice guy."

"He's the one who defeated you, isn't he?" the daughter of the Archduke of Albion asked, and Matilda nodded.

"He knew my motives, and he knew how to use the Staff. If he wasn't Gandalfr, I'd say that he could potentially be an enemy of all of Halkeginia."

"Gandalfr? Why would that phrase matter?" The term was strange, but she trusted her sister to have a good reason for believing in this unnamed man.

Matilda smiled, patting the top of the blonde's head affectionately. "It means that when he makes a promise, he will stay true to it. I don't know very much about him, but from the few moments we fought, I could see that he takes his role seriously. He won't betray us."

A brief expression of uncertainty crossed the elf's face, before she smiled, a bright smile that only someone as optimistic as her could make, and she nodded. "Okay! So, we're going to Romalia, then?"

Matilda nodded. "I already got us a flight on the corsair ship _Eagle._ I know the captain, he'll smuggle us out without the Albionian government ever knowing."

Tiffania tilted her head. "Privateers? But if the king finds out-"

"He won't." Matilda assured her. "The captain is an honorable man, and he holds quite a lot of sway in Albion's trade system with the mainland. Even if the Tudor family did find out, he is too important to punish." She smiled at the innocence of the girl in front of her. "There's a lot you still don't understand about the way this world works. Maybe leaving this house will be good for you."

Tiffania was silent for several seconds as she processed what was going on, before nodding, looking sadly at the small Westwood house they'd shared for longer than she could remember.

"So this is goodbye to Mother, isn't it?" she asked, and Matilda smiled sadly.

"I'm sure she understands. She'd want your safety above all else."


	31. The King of Tristain

The woman watched as Henrietta paced back and forth in the room, the girl's uncharacteristically messy hair bouncing as she walked, wielding a brush that she attempted to use to tame the strands. Her nerves were obvious, but the woman simply smiled at her. The princess's anxiety was not a bad thing, in fact, today was somewhat of a milestone for her in several ways.

"Henrietta, dear, you don't need to be so worked up about this." she said, her voice as soothing as she could make it, in the way only a mother could talk to her daughter. "Bestowing the honor of Chevalier is not nearly as flashy as it seems...and it's little Louise, you know her!"

Henrietta glanced at the woman, sighing, before continuing her pacing, a temporary lull in the conversation punctuated by the scratching sound of her hair being pulled by the brush's strands.

"I know, but even with her, no, especially with her, I have to look my best, Marianne!" Henrietta complained, and the woman laughed.

"How many times have I told you, call me 'mother'. I am your mother, after all, and it's not normal for a girl to refer to her parents by their names."

"I'm not a child anymore!" Henrietta retorted. "And you are queen, that takes priority over your relations!"

Marianne sighed, looking down and shaking her head. "I am queen regnant, not queen." she replied, her voice calm in a further effort to soothe the girl's worry. "And you have nothing to worry about! Your father and I will both be present, if anything goes wrong, we will handle it."

"This isn't about giving Louise the title!" Henrietta exclaimed. "It's...other things…" She looked down at the ground, her voice trailing off at the sentence. _I can't tell her about New Divide...Please, mom, just drop the conversation!_

"I have also heard that there will be someone accompanying her here...Oh?" The mischievous grin that formed on the woman's face made it obvious what her thoughts had lead to. "Is it a boy? Has someone finally caught my little Henrietta's eye?"

Henrietta's pale face made the sudden flush of red across her cheeks all the more pronounced, and she waved her hands in front of her, the brush hanging from a tangle in her hair. "W-What?! N-No, definitely not! I'm a princess, I have to maintain a standard!"

Marianne's grin showed just how much she didn't care about the standards the girl had mentioned. "Is he a student at the academy? I bet he's quite special, for you to notice him above the other kids there."

"No, he's just a familiar!" Henrietta shouted, and her mouth closed shut, her blush even more evident at the slip of her tongue.

Marianne went silent for a few seconds, her eyebrow raised at the choice of words. Henrietta practically started trembling at the silence. The topic of her mother's conversation, and a familiar...it could be very bad for David if she-

She had nothing to worry about. The stern face Marianne made was not as dangerous as she'd thought it was. "You don't mean... _the_ familiar, do you?" she asked. "The one who killed Fouquet the Sculptor?"

Henrietta blinked, before sighing, hanging her head, the brush still stuck to her hair swinging down over her eyes. "Yes...that one. But there's nothing going on between us, I've only met him once!"

It was true...though they by now had a fairly decent message system in place now that he had started kicking off New Divide. If David saw things the way Marianne did, he'd probably joke that they were texting buddies...whatever texting was.

Marianne grinned, but nodded in acceptance. "Alright...It's a shame though, from Agnes' report, he seems like such a good man...Will we be rewarding him as well? He certainly deserves it for his role in the mission."

Henrietta pulled the brush down off her face, holding it in one hand, before accepting her mother's wordless hand gesture, giving hr the brush and letting her fix the problematic hair.

"I'd...I'd like to reward him, yes...but he's just a familiar, he isn't even considered human by the law…"

Marianne tutted at her words. "Oh, that law's old and stupid, many familiars are sentient creatures and deserve every right commoners have. The only reason it hasn't been overturned is that nobody cares enough to enforce it."

~~~Later~~~

"Wow…" David said, whistling as he looked around the large room. "This is the entrance hall? The royal family have it good, I don't even get a bed, much less all this."

Agnes glanced at him, her hand on the handle of a pistol as it always was, ready at a moment's notice. "You...don't have a bed? How do you sleep, exactly?" she asked, before shaking her head. "Never mind, I'm not really supposed to talk to you…"

David laughed, waving a hand encouragingly. "You're higher-ranking than me, if anything, I shouldn't be able to talk to you."

Agnes blinked. "That's...not how classes-" She shook her head. "Nevermind, forget I said anything, you wouldn't understand our world's way of doing things."

David laughed. "That is indeed true!" he said, before he shouted in pain as Louise elbowed his still-bruised ribs. At least now he was healed enough that he didn't need the bandages anymore, they made him feel like he was suffocating.

"Quiet, they're coming." she said, and David glanced at her, before looking forward, tilting his head at the sight.

It wasn't a major change, if anything, this was more realistic...but he still hadn't been expecting the two adults that walked in front of Henrietta. He recognized Marianne, Henrietta's mother (a relationship he could have guessed without ever seeing her in the show, considering how similar they looked), and from the context of the meeting, he assumed the man standing next to her was Henri, the current King de Tristain and Henrietta's father.

It was odd, seeing Henri. He'd only once or twice been mentioned in the anime, and never had appeared on screen. He was blond, his hair almost white, and he was clean-shaven. If not for his muscular body and noticeable age (and the fact that he towered over his wife), he could be mistaken for an older Wales Tudor.

 _Well, he IS originally from that family, it makes sense he'd look like one of them._ David thought. The man didn't seem like the arrogant type of noble...at least, the smile on his face seemed genuinely happy.

His curiosity of the man sated, he looked at Henrietta, who was walking between her parents, a nervous expression on her face. _I already know what's happening...but it has to be so awkward to have your parents watching you, princess or not. I feel for you, Henrietta._

Agnes backed away as the three walked up to the two, plus one sword, who'd been called here, and Henri's smile dropped to a more serious expression as he stared at David, who shrank back a little at the man's calculating gaze. _Why is he only looking at me…?_

The staring went on for several seconds, the room dead quiet as everyone waited for him, the highest-ranked person in the room, to speak. Henrietta's anxiety was almost infectious, as David found himself growing self-conscious at the intensity of the king's stare.

The stare went on for another several seconds, the tension in the air getting thicker, and David became aware that Louise had bowed to one knee, while he remained standing.

"May I ask why you are not bowing down to me as Louise de la Valliere is?" Henri asked, and David blinked several times, before he registered what the man had said.

He opened his mouth a few times, trying to choose his words as carefully as he could. This was Henrietta's father and the most politically powerful man in the country, he couldn't antagonize him or else New Divide could fall apart.

But the more he thought, the more he realized he did not want to show himself as weak in front of the man. He didn't want to bow, and he wouldn't bow. He couldn't, he could never stand the motion and even with a king he would never lay prostrate.

"King Henri." he said, and the man nodded at the mention of his name. "I'm now bowing because...I will not respect someone who has not yet earned it."

A collective gasp from several people in the room, most noticeably Henrietta herself, and David suddenly found himself on the ground, groaning as his still-hurting torso connected with the wood floor, the hood of his sweater in the iron grip of the tiny girl next to him.

"What do you think you're doing?!" she hissed at him, still in her position on one knee, though her face was contorted in anger. "He is the king, surely even a dog like you is intelligent enough not to blatantly insult him like that!"

She was cut off by Henri's booming laughter, and everyone stared at him. The King de Tristain was practically doubled over, his arms wrapped around his stomach and his eyes screwed shut as he laughed, the sound loud and echoing in the large room.

"I like your attitude, kid!" he said. "Stand up, stand up, and tell me your name!"

Louise was so shocked by the reaction that she didn't resist when he got up, pulling his hood out of her grip and dusting off his jeans as he stood, an obvious expression of confusion on his face.

"Um...David." he said. "David James Wilson."

Henri laughed again, before, once again surprising everyone, he put a hand on the American-born boy's shoulder. "Well, David...That was the best laugh I've had in years, good on you!"

Now David was really confused. "You're not...mad at me?" he asked, and Henri shook his head, his face lit up in a smile.

"Why would I be mad? It is a good man who bows to his superiors, but it is a great one who bows only to those he trusts! You are not of this world, and I have done nothing for you but appear in this room, and there is little reason to pay respects to a stranger!"

His laugh echoed across the room again, and from behind them, Agnes stared, her eyes wide as saucers, at the jovial man. Clearly, this was not Henri's typical mood.

"You too, stand!" the king said to Louise, who quickly obeyed, practically shaking with the same level of nerves Henrietta had, the tone of Henri's voice scaring her even more than if he was angry...something about him being so supportive of David's stupid decision was ten times worse than if he'd just executed them on the spot.

"I was wondering what kind of man had defeated Fouquet, someone even our personal guard could not harm." Agnes noticeably tensed at the reference to her own past failures. "I think I have a good idea of what kind of person you are now, David, and I like what I see!"

He ushered to the two purple-haired royals behind him, and they walked up, Henrietta smiling from the cover of her parents' backs at the two.

"Now, then, let's get on with this reward giving thing, and then I am going to ask many questions, so be prepared!"


	32. Henrietta's Reward

David was wary of the king, and the fact that he was supposed to be dead didn't help matters. He'd let that slide for now because he assumed he'd been mistaken in his information and that the death was between seasons...and he really didn't want to confuse and/or seriously hurt Henrietta by telling her that her father was supposed to be dead or going to die very soon.

So instead of questioning it, he simply stayed cautious. While it was still season 1, the death or life of Henri wouldn't particularly matter...so long as Henrietta became queen in early season 2.

He shook his head. _No, I'm thinking in events again...That would destroy her if it happened, I should hope things work out without his death._

"Reward?" Louise asked. "But...why would we get a personal audience with the King just for killing Fouquet?"

Henrietta stepped forward, her usual smile masking her nervousness. She'd procured a folded piece of black cloth from somewhere, and was holding it in front of her as she stepped in front of Louise.

"What is this?" Louise asked, looking at the cloth, then back at the princess, who smiled at her.

"A mantle. We decided that you were to be given the title of Chevalier."

Louise stared, and David had to hold back a snicker at her facial expression, and now it was his turn to nudge her side, which for her was far less painful than when she did it to him thanks to the fact that her ribs had not nearly been crushed only a few days ago.

She glared at him, before closing her eyes, inhaling deeply before returning the smile Henrietta wore, holding out her hands to accept the mantle, which Henrietta placed in her outstretched hands, before taking a step back.

Louise unfolded the cloth, holding it up, and let Henrietta take the corners of the mantle, wrapping it around the smaller girl's body and fastening it over the pentagram star symbol of the academy.

Henrietta stepped back again, beaming at her childhood friend. "I, Henrietta de Tristain, with my power as crown princess of Tristain, hereby declare you, Louise Françoise Le Blanc de la Valliere, as a Chevalier, to be a knight that will come at my call."

Louise nodded, bowing her head, though she didn't do the full bow she'd made to the king earlier. "I'm at your service." she said.

David shifted in his place, looking between the group, and even glancing at Agnes standing guard behind them a couple times. She tightened her grip on her pistol every time he looked at her, as if she suspected him, though he doubted she actually did, she was just cautious by nature.

 _I'm assuming the whole kiss thing won't happen with her parents here...and good thing for that, I would_ not _be willing to directly kiss her...and even if her parents didn't kill me, I'd die of embarrassment from Derf's shouting about his OTP…_

"Can I ask what I'm doing here then?" he said, catching the attention of Henrietta's mother, though her father and she herself were more engrossed in Louise posing in her new mantle to notice.

"Well, you're being rewarded too, of course!" Marianne said, and David blinked.

"I'm just a familiar, and Osmond said that I wouldn't be getting anything since I'm not a noble."

Marianne waved her hand. "That may be the case there, but here at the palace, we reward people for their deeds, regardless of their rank." At his face, she laughed. "What's wrong?"

David blinked a few times. "It's just...I kind of assumed that most nobles were really arrogant and didn't care for commoners much...I mean, I've met Henrietta before and she's definitely one of the good ones, but I didn't know that that extended to her family as well."

Henri laughed, and David cringed as he suddenly felt the man's large hand clap against his back, right against a particularly sore spot on his spine.

"We raised her right, I hope." Henri said, grinning down at the boy. "It's good to see someone who can pick out the good people, and it's even better that you're associated with Henrietta's childhood friend! By extension, that makes you her friend as well!"

Henrietta shifted uncomfortably at her father's tone of voice. "Father, we already are actual friends, not just by extension…" she said, and Henri's grin widened.

"That's right, you met him when you went to see that exhibition we told you not to go to!" he said, his tone evidently not angry in the slightest at her breach in royal conduct. "The kid with the strange instrument Agnes was raving about when you returned home!"

Now it was Agnes' turn to be uncomfortable. "I wasn't raving, I just mentioned it a few times…"

"Each of those few times being around five minutes long!" Marianne pointed out, and Agnes visibly tried to shrink back, her face uncharacteristically red.

"Nevertheless!" Henri said, clapping his hands together. "Now that I've had a good look at you, David de Wilson, I think we know the answer to our little question, don't we, Marianne?" He looked at his wife, who smiled and nodded, much to the confusion of the other three active members of the group.

"What...question?" Henrietta asked, nervous about what the king and queen regnant could have possibly been coming up with behind her back.

Marianne copied Henri's clap, nodding, her smile widening. "The matter of approving this boy!" she said.

Both Henrietta and Louise's faces flushed red, and they simultaneously spluttered, though David was left confused and in the dark. Approved for what? He voiced his concern, the matter certainly important...and he had a feeling the meaning of the term related to why her parents had come with her instead of her coming alone...Heck, it might even explain why the heck Henri was alive.

"Uh...what does being approved mean? Kind of not all that aware of how kingdoms work, other world and all that…"

Henrietta pointedly didn't make eye contact with him, staring down at the ground in front of her, while Louise's glare was prominent on her face, as if she was just waiting for David to say something stupid.

"Father, Marianne, were you betting on me again?!" Henrietta asked in shock, and Henri laughed.

"Of course not...Our ideas were unanimous." he said.

Marianne nodded, before a mischievous smile crossed her face, and she held her hands to her cheeks. "Ah, no wonder you were so flustered before we came here, if this was the man on your mind!"

"Marianne!" Henrietta exclaimed. "I told you, I don't see him like that!"

"And even if I did see her like that, she's a princess, even if you did approve she'd be way out of my league!" David added, and Henrietta's blush only deepened at the unintentional compliment.

Of course it was at this moment that Derf decided to join in, in as inopportune a time as ever. "You've never once called her 'Princess' before, partner! You see her as the same rank as everyone else, you truly know no difference between commoner and noble!"

The surprise at the talking sword only flashed momentarily in the king and queen's eyes, before they both jumped in clear excitement at the sword's words. "They really would be perfect for each other, and David is a swordsman, he could lighten Agnes' workload if he became a Chevalier, and-"

The volume of the room escalated as Louise joined in, yelling angrily at everyone in the heat of the moment, and the excited shouting only grew louder thanks to her agitation. David was lucky enough to make his way out of the fray, though poor Henrietta was stuck between Henri and Louise.

Derf was still shouting his two cents, until David gripped its handle where its 'mouth' was, effectively smothering it and shutting it up.

"David." came the barely-calm voice of the knight behind him, and he glanced at her. She was looking at him with a stern expression, though the tinge on her cheeks made it clear she was only barely controlling herself. "It seems that I am the only adult here who believes in your sides of the story. I apologize that I am not able to help you."

David smiled sheepishly at her, shaking his head. "It's fine, I'm used to getting caught in the middle of ridiculous circumstances after living in this world for a month. But...someone probably should stop this before Louise starts throwing spells, her temperament probably isn't big enough to keep her in check even in this situation…"

Agnes blinked, before nodding. "You are probably correct about that...And I would personally rather this conversation end here before you get engaged to her, it could be disastrous if you were to become the prince."

David laughed. "I don't want to be any kind of king...I'm just a commoner who wants to go home."

"Then you can be the King of Commoners!" shouted Henri over the commotion, and David's hand met his forehead.

Agnes chuckled at the boy's misfortune. "King of Commoners, huh...Nice ring to it."

"Not you too, I thought you were on my side!"


	33. The King of Commoners

It took fifteen minutes of David and Agnes working together to pull apart the fray, and by the end of it, all six of the people in the room were collapsed to the ground, in various states of excitement and exhaustion.

Henrietta was holding Louise back, arms locked around the smaller girl's armpits, while Agnes had finally convinced Henri to stop his 'very unkinglike ranting'. David, meanwhile, was helping Marianne stand, after she'd been knocked over by Henri's strange excitement-fuelled dance-jumping that he'd been doing since David and Agnes started resolving the situation.

 _These people are insane…_ he thought as he helped the queen regnant stand, and once she seemed to be alright, he went over to help Henrietta placate Louise...a difficult task considering that she was...well, Louise.

At least she hadn't drawn her wand, and she seemed to be calming down, at least enough that Henrietta could let her go and not worry about her attacking someone.

Henri laughed again, tapping Agnes' shoulder plate to show that he was less excitable than earlier. "I guess we did get out of hand a bit...but you reacted so quickly, and immediately enlisted Agnes' help! You really are a perfect match for my daughter!"

"Why is everyone shipping us together? What is this, a fandom?" David groaned, earning another laugh from the king, and a chuckle from Marianne.

"Well, I don't know what 'shipping' or 'fandom' is, but I'll say, yes, it is!" Henri said, and David groaned again.

"Do I have any say in this…?" Henrietta asked, her face as red as a tomato from the topic of the conversation.

"Of course you do, that's why I wanted to meet this man!" Henri said. "Your mother told me that Henrietta had been worked up over someone before coming here, I wanted to see who it was!"

"I was nervous because I'd never given a title to someone before, why won't you believe me!" Henrietta exclaimed.

David glanced at Agnes, seemingly the only person who had remained mostly sane throughout the interactions, and she looked back at him. They wordlessly passed a message through their eyes to each other, before Agnes clapped her hands together, the metal of her gauntlets making a ringing sound as they connected, silencing the arguing and bringing everyone's attention to her.

She sighed, looking down at the ground and shaking her head. "This has gotten way out of hand. Forgive me if I'm overstepping my boundaries as a knight of the royal family, but I don't think this conversation has anything to do with anyone but the two it is discussing."

Her tone of voice was professional, as if she'd had to mediate discussions multiple times in the past, and she was just commanding enough that she kept the attention of the king.

"As customary of potential relationships, the mother and father have given approval. Correct me if I'm wrong about that." Silence, and she continued. "And likewise, neither David nor the Princess have ever shown more than the most fleeting evidence that they have ever cared about rank or class."

"And he's now dubbed the King of Commoners!" Henri interjected, and was about to laugh, before the glare Agnes shot at him made him close his mouth.

 _She's actually pretty impressive when she gets serious._ David thought. _And kind of scary…_

Agnes coughed into her fist to continue. "The name 'King of Commoners' is more akin to a nickname than a real title, despite it being invented by one with as much authority as King Henri." she replied. "However, it's worth noting that David has a growing influence in the Academy's student body, as well as the instructors and many of the staff...so perhaps the phrase does hold some weight."

David's face dropped. _Is she seriously suggesting letting that stupid spur-of-the-moment joke get attached to me?_

"I've heard about his playing before, from Henrietta's report about the Fouquet incident." Marianne said. "It is some kind of music-based magic, is it not?"

Agnes shook her head, not letting David defend himself. "It is not any kind of magic. I was there during the exhibition, so I experienced it firsthand. He is a true commoner, there is no trace of any magical energy in his body...not even the residual energy that most of the staff have. Likely, this is because he's from another world, one without magic. However...He still has a charisma about him that shows its head whenever he plays the strange instrument he possesses."

"It's called a guitar." David said, and she glanced at him. "They're pretty common in my world...though I'd like to think I'm one of the better amateurs."

Agnes nodded. "Right…" She coughed again to sort her thoughts. "Even without his 'guitar', he still shows quite a few characteristics of a noble that I rarely see in mages. I was not present during the mission to defeat Fouquet, but Cheri gave me a...very detailed report about him." She shuddered involuntarily, and David cringed at what the reaction may imply. What had Cheri said about him?

Well, nice to know she was conscious and doing fine, at least.

"In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he influenced the anonymous messenger who revealed Mott's scheming...Though I've checked the handwriting of the letter against some of the things he's written that are in the school records, and he definitely did not write the letter himself."

 _Plus I can't read or write Tristainian._ David thought, though obviously, he couldn't say it, since that would open up a whole other can of worms as to why he knew what language the letter was written in.

By now, Henrietta, and Louise, for that matter, had calmed down to more sensible levels, while it was David's turn to be more embarrassed. Hearing Agnes compliment anyone was a rare honor, but being on the receiving end of it just made him very awkward...and it slightly worried him, considering Henri's facial expression.

"I'm droning at this point, so I'll just make my statement." Agnes said, before inhaling deeply to finish her spiel. "The topic sort of changed somewhere...but essentially, David does do quite well supporting the name 'King of Commoners'."

David groaned at the smile that had started forming on Henri's face, but the smile stopped at Agnes' next words.

"However," she said, nodding her head to enunciate her words. "as David is a commoner, and even beyond that, a familiar, he cannot have any sort of official title, as only nobles and fallen peasants may be given them."

Her speech finished, she went silent, glancing between Henri and David, arguably the two most important people in the room, gauging their reactions.

David smiled at her. Pointing out his status...He didn't care about status, but it would be seriously bad for New Divide if he were to become stuck with a title, especially given that he was more a freeloader in the academy than anything else.

His smile dropped as Henri laughed, the king turning to face him, and Marianne smiled knowingly at the expression the king made.

"Well, Agnes, that is all true...as a commoner, no title can be given to him…" he said, and Agnes nodded in agreement.

"David, if I may ask...how long have you been a swordsman? From the reports I've received since you came to our world, you seem to be quite the master."

David shook his head. "I had never picked up a sword in my life before coming here. All my skill comes from this." He lifted his left hand, the runes of Gandalfr prominent on his skin, though as he was not wielding Derf, they remained dark and indented into the flesh. "Osmond probably already mentioned Gandalfr, hasn't he?"

Henri nodded. "He has...sometimes he has stressed it more than necessary. Agnes, what level would you say he is at in his skill?"

"According to Cheri's report, judging from simple observation during his fight with Fouquet's golem, he is around the level of one of Pope Vittorio's flamen...though with little mastery of his movements. Based on my squad's talents...I'd say he is tied with Juliet in terms of raw talent, though he has very little experience."

 _All I did was swing Derf around, I wasn't really thinking..._ David thought, but he didn't question her judgement...she was a Chevalier after all, and he doubted there were any swordsmen as skilled as Agnes de Milan.

Henri nodded. "Juliet is…?" he asked.

Agnes sighed, her eyebrow twitching. "The one you said looks like a pineapple." she said, clearly annoyed by the term, and Henri laughed.

"Oh, yes, her! So in other words, David is similar in talent to many of your squad?"

"Yes, he is. And he seems to have a strong sense of duty as well, though he hesitates to initiate an attack."

 _I'm not even sure if that's me acting like Saito or genuinely trying anymore...Maybe there is no difference…_

Henri nodded, before grinning. "And he can't have a title without being a noble…" he mused.

"Sir, why are you asking this?" Agnes asked. "What does David's talent have to do with his status?"

Henri's grin only widened, before he turned to the subject of the discussion. "David, we haven't given you your reward yet for defeating Fouquet, have we?"

David blinked. "Umm...Didn't we just establish that I can't get anything since I'm not really even a citizen?"

"Okay, I'm really confused now. Where exactly is all this going?" Louise asked, finally getting into the conversation after silently stewing off to the side for most of Agnes' speech.

Henri's grin never faded. "You're right, we can't reward a commoner...that's why, as of now, you are a noble!"


	34. David the Noble

"...Can you repeat that?" David asked. "I think I misheard you."

Henri smiled. "I said, you are now a noble. That way, we can properly reward you!"

"Father-" Henrietta was about to say, before Louise's shout cut her off.

"You can't just hand out a title to him! He only defeated Fouquet, he didn't do anything that actually protected the kingdom, and he didn't even do it alone!"

David glanced at him, raising his hands palms-forward. "Y-Yeah...I really don't deserve becoming a noble…" _Seriously, most of what I'm doing is for my own gain…_

He couldn't tell if the king was too trusting or if he knew exactly what he was doing. He'd had zero information on the king before since he was dead before the series started.

From what he'd seen, Henri was either the most idiotic or the shrewdest ruler in the series.

"You have Agnes' support, and that's plenty in my book to make anyone a noble...though you have also done things of your own accord that sat well with the ruling class. Getting involved in the Fouquet incident...you saved Henrietta's reputation by doing so."

David touched the back of his head with his hand, nervously laughing at the king's compliments. "I really wasn't thinking about Henrietta during any of that…" It was true, he hadn't really been thinking at all during most of the mission. Even warning Matilda to play dead was a spur of the moment thing, and he honestly had no idea why he'd helped her...she gave no reason for sympathy at any point in the anime, and he didn't agree with her turning to thievery to help Tifa.

"David, you may not be aware of this, but my husband does not just hand out titles to people." Marianne said. "It is rare for a commoner to become a noble. You are not even from this world, yet you have earned his trust even with the few memorable actions you have made."

Henri nodded. "When Henrietta returned from the exhibition, she clearly had changed...and it didn't take much pressing to find out it was thanks to your playing. And even barring that and Fouquet...your actions leading to Mott's arrest were invaluable to the kingdom. Whether you intended it or not, you did a great service sending that letter."

Louise stiffened, and Agnes stared at the boy. "...You...You're Odekoron Knight?" she asked, and he grinned sheepishly.

"I wanted to be anonymous, that's the whole reason I got someone else to write the letter for me...Plus I can't read or write Tristainian."

"There's no reason to be anonymous." Marianne said. "Nothing wrong with being known for your accomplishments, and you certainly have several that few nobles can brag about."

Henri clapped, grinning. "Now, then. I'm exercising my power as king to officially give you the title of a noble, and from now on, to the royal family, you will be given the runic name 'King of Commoners'...though this wasn't really prepared or anything, so I don't have a mantle to give you...Besides, you are still a familiar, so the title will be mostly superficial, I apologize."

David shook his head. _This is the most informal promotion I've ever seen, but whatever, I can'twould defy the king...and it's definitely not a good idea to make him angry._ "It's alright...I wasn't really expecting any sort of reward anyway."

"Nonsense, you deserve as much as Louise does!" Marianne said. "Oh, Henrietta, you like to tell them the other thing? You've been very quiet since we came here...Are you embarrassed by your parents being around him?"

Henrietta's face flushed again, but she managed to handle herself well enough, walking forward, hands clasped together in front of her like she often did when she was trying to look more regal than she felt. "Well...Asking you two to come here wasn't really just to reward you...We had something to request of you too."

"Of course! Anything!" Louise immediately said, and within seconds, she had the hood of David's sweater tightly gripped in her hand, forcing him to bend over so he wouldn't collapse to the side thanks to how short she was. "I'll even jump out the window with him if you ask it!"

David sweatdropped. _We're on the first floor…_ he thought.

Henrietta laughed, shaking her head. "Nothing that extreme...I just want you to take a vacation in the village...There's been reports that a noble has been abusing the peasants there, and we wanted you to check it out...and now that David is a noble by name, it should be all the easier to be in disguise there."

"You can take a knight as well if you want, though Agnes and Cheri are both unavailable." Henri said.

David looked thoughtful...or rather, that's how he made himself look. In reality, he was looking knowingly at Henrietta, who had the same expression toward him.

 _Good, she passed along that information. Looks like the New Divide messaging system is working well._ He internally smiled at the pigeon that loyally went between them...that bird was also apparently smart enough to know that it was to be kept a secret, because it never came by when he was near someone else, other than Tabitha, who never seemed to care in the slightest about his messages.

"A knight wouldn't be necessary, I can handle anything that would happen in the village with my Gandalfr power." David replied, taking the lead before Louise could start shouting her objection. The village arc was mostly just filler, but this time, he wasn't really trying to follow the plot. He just genuinely wanted to meet Scarron and Jessica, they seemed like nice people, even with Scarron's...issues.

Henrietta nodded. "Then good luck on your mission. I'm sorry to send you on another so soon after your last one…"

David grinned. "No worries...my ribs are almost healed now."

* * *

 **Sorry for the short chapter today. I recently got really into Pupa, and I've been prepping for a fanfiction of it, so I haven't really had the time to write a longer chapter...plus it's currently at a bit of a boring spot for now. Don't worry, I will do my best to make sure next chapter and the following ones will be normal length!**


	35. Louise the Commoner

David looked around as Louise stepped out of the carriage behind him, dressed in more simple clothes than she normally wore. She looked odd in the brown robes of a commoner, but she held in her complaints for the sake of the mission.

Meanwhile, David was wearing his usual outfit, though he now wore the cloak part of Louise's school uniform, attached via the pentagram pin that completed the outfit usually.

He tugged lightly at the pin to keep it from digging into his neck. Since it was fitted to Louise, who was nearly a foot shorter than him, it certainly was not well-designed for his frame. The hem of the cloak only reached just below his knee level, making it obvious that it wasn't intended for him.

However, despite the lack of a fitting mantle (and Louise's frequent complaints that he was stretching the fabric), there seemed to be no problem blending into the role Henrietta had given them. Him as a noble and her as a servant girl.

The decision was met with quite a bit of opposition from the pinkette, until Henrietta explained that David would not be able to carry Derflinger during the mission if he was acting as a servant, and he was able to convince her that he could act like a convincing nobleman.

He was exercising the style of walking he'd adopted for the mission, a more graceful motion than he normally walked with, as he was mimicking the style that Guiche moved in.

The blond playboy may be a moron, but he was truly a token example of a noble, and while David would never act exactly like Guiche, it was no harm done to use his movement style.

It didn't feel natural in the slightest to move like this, but David knew that he _looked_ natural, and that was what was important.

Of course, Louise, who was not as fluid an actor as David, still walked with the same stiff walk she always did, though she looked somewhat less regal than normal considering her clothing looked much less expensive now.

"We need a horse." Louise said. "I'm not walking everywhere, this village is too big for that!"

David rolled his eyes. _Here we go...I was hoping she wouldn't start complaining at least until we got to the cafe._ "I checked out this place when we came here to get Derf. Horses are 400 ecu each, we only were given 200."

Louise pouted. "I've never had so little money with me at any time!" she complained, and David sighed, shaking his head and touching his forehead with a couple fingers to relieve himself of the headache that was slowly forming.

"This girl…" he said to himself. "Look, in my world, very few people went around with more than a hundred bucks, and most people didn't even use that. Then again, we had credit cards and electronics that you don't, but still…"

Louise stared at him. "And how much is 'a hundred bucks' in ecus?" she asked curiously. David looked up as he thought.

"I think ecus were worth like 25 dollars before they got rid of them, if I remember correctly…" he said thoughtfully. "So the max most people carried was 4 ecus...Holy mother of God this exchange rate is screwed up."

He shook his head, glancing at the coin pouch he carried with him that held the 200 ecus they had been given. He couldn't help it as his eyebrow ticked at the thought of how much money that actually was. "I find it very hard to believe that anyone in this world can be poor when 5,000 dollars is cheap…"

Louise stared at him in amazement. "How can anyone live with only 4 ecus at a time?! That can't be possible!"

He sweatdropped at the thought, laughing nervously at her. "I rarely carried more than 40 bucks, I never needed much...5 dollars is enough for a full meal at Chick-fil-a."

Louise went silent as she did the mental math to figure out how much that equated to in their world's terms. "5 livres and 4 sous…" she said in shock. "That's...unreal, you can't even buy fish with that price…"

"If this world and Earth were to combine, the global economy would be totally ruined…" he said. "Now I'm kind of glad there's only like two ways to get between the worlds…"

Louise blinked. "There...are ways to go back?" she asked, and he nodded.

He stared at her expression for a few seconds, before laughing and waving his hand. "I can't use any of them until the right conditions have happened, I'm still stuck here for a while, don't worry."

Louise shook her head, looking down at the ground. "I'm not worried. Can I have the money, then? You clearly don't understand the currency of this world if you think that 200 ecu is rich."

He looked at her with as doubtful an expression as he could muster. Of course, he already knew what would happen if he gave her the money. She'd blow it all on a casino and they'd be forced to lodge with the Enchanted Fairy Tavern.

Which was exactly what they needed. He needed to meet Scarron and Jessica, and he couldn't get the level of friendship with them that he wanted if they simply visited.

He couldn't think of any important plot points that related to the two, but this was more of a personal wish. Saito had been very put off by Scarron's oddities, but David already knew what he was getting into, so it wouldn't be nearly as hard to get used to the man...and Scarron had several benefits that David would have been hard-pressed to get from anyone else. Namely, the multitude of times he helped the cast out in the anime...though David didn't really plan to stay long enough for that to be of any use.

Nevertheless, he had made his decision, and untied the pouch from his belt loop, handing it to her.

Almost as soon as she had her hands on it, she disappeared, running off into the town. David sighed, shaking his head, a small smile playing on his face as he walked a little into the town before sitting on the curb of a water fountain to wait for her.

He mentally chuckled to himself. _Good thing I informed Henrietta that this would probably happen._ he thought, his finger grazing along the second pouch that had been next to the first, hidden by the cloak.


	36. The Enchanted Fairy Inn

David jolted awake, sitting up from his position lying sideways along the concrete of the fountain, and groggily looked around, his eyes half-open in his exhaustion.

He blinked several times to clear his vision as he noticed Louise, standing still a few feet away, turned toward him, though her face was pointed to the ground, shadowed in the low light of the sun setting behind her. In one hand, she carried the now-empty coin pouch he'd given her, making it clear what had happened.

Exactly as expected, she'd blown it all immediately. Nevertheless, he sighed, sitting up, pretending not to be aware.

"What happened?" he asked, and she bit her lip before answering.

"I went to a casino." she grumbled, her voice low as she spoke.

"Didn't go so well, huh?"

She growled. "They said I was certain to get more!" she practically shouted, throwing the now-empty pouch on the ground. "And before I knew it, it was all gone! This is stupid!"

David smiled, resisting the urge to remind her that it was her who'd claimed he had no concept of how currency worked. Rich people weren't as aware of the power of money as the lower class, and she was a shining example of that.

He shrugged, groaning as he stood up, stretching the kinks in his joints from sleeping on the concrete. He swivelled one arm in its socket to stretch, closing one eye at the sensation. "Well, guess that means we'll have to find somewhere to stay. I think I know a place that'll take us for free...provided we work while we're there."

Louise looked at him doubtfully, but after a moment's hesitation, she sighed, nodding, and he smiled softly, careful not to seem condescending over her failure.

He adjusted the strap of Derf's sheath on his back, before he started walking. While Louise had been out making their money disappear, he had staked out the town to find the inn. Now, he could find it relatively easily, even without the help of the giant Scarron.

It was a good thing he knew where it was, because Scarron had not appeared as he had done in the anime. Planning ahead for small changes wasn't hard, at least at this point in the series.

As they walked, he occasionally glanced back at Louise, who refused to raise her head from the ground. Her face was flushed in embarrassment at using up their money, making her seem surprisingly cute considering how angry she normally was.

Then again, David hadn't actually seen her angry all that often. He was careful not to get on her bad side, and he liked to think that she was getting used to his presence by now.

It might be a bit selfish, but he even thought he saw a hint of affection in the way she looked at him now. He was not as dense as Saito, he could see masked emotions, though with someone like Louise, any slight misunderstanding could be very volatile. She was as explosive as her magic.

Then again, he couldn't deny that she was more attached to him than he expected. She seemed genuinely sad when he mentioned that there were ways for him to go back home, and before then, at the ball, when he'd told her that he was planning on returning to Earth when he could.

He lightly ran a hand along the line of his jeans through the cloak, feeling the second, smaller coin pouch that he'd had Henrietta give him as backup. It wasn't nearly the same amount, only about 50 ecus or so, but it would be enough in case anything happened.

He hoped he wouldn't have to use them, having a secret stash of 50 of these things could be helpful, and when he got back to Earth he could sell them and make a huge profit. He didn't really like the thought of using Louise and Henrietta for such a thing...but if the opportunity comes, take it, right?

As the large wooden sign of the Enchanted Fairy Tavern came into view, David let his thoughts of the extra coins disappear. It would be simple enough to explain that they just wanted shelter and food, and didn't need to be paid.

A bell rang as they entered the tavern, and within seconds, one of the many maids working at the place had appeared, bowing to them as David stood awkwardly, not used to the uniforms of the place, while Louise stewed behind him.

"Welcome, master!" the girl said, bowing down to him, and he waved nervously.

"We're here for a request to Scarron…" he said. "Not as customers."

The maid tilted her head, before standing up straight again. "Mademoiselle is out right now, but you can talk with Jessica!" she replied.

David smiled, holding a hand up to stop Louise from speaking. He glanced back at her.

'Let me handle this.' he mouthed, and she closed her mouth, though she still looked annoyed at how easily he'd silenced her.

He turned to face the maid again, nodding, flashing a smile for good measure. "Thank you." he replied, careful not to bow, as he knew that he was supposed to be playing a noble right now.

The maid bowed again, walking off, and within a few moments, the girl that David recognized as Jessica appeared from the door to the stairway into the living area of the tavern.

The girl certainly was Siesta's cousin, looking almost exactly like her, other than the fact that she kept her hair long while Siesta's was usually cut short.

She bowed to them, smiling as she gestured them over to a less busy part of the tavern than the front door.

"So, you're the mystery noble dad said would be coming." she said, and David laughed.

"I guess he got my message, didn't he?" he replied, and Louise looked between them, confused.

"Wait...you planned this beforehand?" she asked, and David laughed.

"I had a feeling we'd run into money issues pretty quickly, so I made some preparations yesterday." he replied, before turning back to Jessica. "So do you already know our situation?"

Jessica nodded. "Well, I assume I do...you DID say in the message that you probably wouldn't come here unless you ended up broke. Guess it's not as easy to play the noble than you thought, huh?"

David grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Was it that obvious?" he asked, and she looked at him with an expression of 'Seriously?'

She smiled. "Well, in any case, we're happy to help. Dad was looking forward to meeting you...not to say that he doubted your financial capability or anything."


	37. Welcome to the Inn

Louise stood in the center of the large room serving as the main body of the tavern, her arms crossed in front of her in embarrassment. She was wearing a white maid costume, identical to that of several of the other nine girls in the room.

"I really don't think this fits me…" she said, and in response, Scarron, who had returned not five minutes after she'd been sent to change, held his hands together, his eyes closing in happiness.

"No, no, you look perfect, Miss Louise!" he said, and she cringed at the tone in his voice.

Being complimented by someone as...odd as Scarron was not a pleasant experience, though she knew he meant her no harm.

"T-Thank you, Mr. Scar-" she was about to say, before she was interrupted by the large man.

"No, no, no, not 'Mister'! Girls, what do we call me?" he asked, ushering to the others.

Simultaneously, they all said the exact same thing, in the exact same happy tone. "Mi Mademoiselle!"

He nodded happily. "Correct! Now, everyone, remember to treat Miss Louise well. She was going to be sold off by her family before her brother helped her escape, and now, we'll help her start her new life!"

A wave of sympathetic responses, and Louise couldn't help but have her eyebrow twitch in annoyance. David hadn't told her about that fake backstory!

"Now, to celebrate our new addition to the team, we'll be having our tip contest this week!" he said, and the girls applauded.

~~~In the kitchen~~~

David was standing in the small area connected to the room, watching her through the open side letting him see out. As the master of the tavern explained the rules and reward of the contest, he cringed. _Oh, yeah...I forgot to tell her about that whole thing. She'll probably get mad at me later…_

He sighed, before he was called over by Jessica, who was across the room, washing dishes at one of the sinks.

"Yo, noble boy, get over here and help me finish these!" she said. "It's almost opening time!"

He laughed, nodding as he walked up to her, pulling up the sleeves of his hoodie to keep the fabric from getting wet. It was still quite cold, even though it was late March, but he had expected that, considering that Tristain was the counterpart to Belgium in his world, and it wasn't all that bad inside the building, even though there wasn't much by way of central heating other than the natural resistance of wood and the torchlight strewn around the building.

Well, he didn't expect much anyway, considering this world didn't have the technology that his world did.

As he started cleaning dishes next to her, he continued looking at Louise, sighing as she got more and more noticeably uncomfortable as the contest explanation went on.

"She's nice." Jessica said, and he blinked, looking over at her.

"What?" he asked, and she laughed, a rhythmic sound that seemed slightly faked, though he couldn't really tell. He didn't know much about her other than what he'd seen in the anime, so he couldn't really form much of an opinion yet, though so far, he liked her. At least, she gave him little reason to hate her.

"Your sister." she said, clearly stressing the word 'sister'. "She seems nice, though she's clearly not used to being around us commoners."

He laughed, shaking his head at her. "Yeah, she's been raised like your typical noble, it's hard for her to adjust to the life of a peasant."

Jessica nodded. "And I imagine you're different?" she asked.

He shrugged. "I was raised to be a bit more down to earth, so to speak." he said. "I'm not really interested in the whole noble thing. I much prefer being more like one of the servants at the Academy."

She whistled at the thought. "I don't know, you act more like a student there than a servant. Do you possess magic, or did you earn the title from something else? It's pretty obvious you aren't actually related."

He laughed, shrugging. "Yeah, we're not, but we are somewhat close. I come from a different family, from another country, and we met after I came to the academy." It wasn't a lie, that was exactly what had happened.

Jessica tilted her head. "Albion, I'm guessing." At the look he gave her, she shrugged. "You have that accent, at least, and I bet that message wasn't written by you. The handwriting was too feminine to be yours."

He laughed, nodding. "Yeah, it wasn't me who wrote that. That was written by Henrietta de...la Rochelle. My...fiancee."

He mentally kicked himself for not coming up with a better excuse, and for not thinking of a better fake relationship than 'fiancee', but Jessica seemed to buy it well enough.

"Oh? A fiancee at such a young age? Your family must have been desperate for an heir."

He laughed nervously, waving a hand. "It was her parents' idea, not mine. We don't really know each other all that well, but we're good enough friends." Again, true enough, though he skipped out on a lot of details.

It was a good thing that there were people who shared names, or else he would have been in trouble.

"So why did you help Miss Louise escape? Wouldn't that void your engagement?" she asked, and he shrugged.

"Probably, but neither of us were all that willing to go through with it anyway. I'm fine with being a fallen noble or whatever my family decide will happen to me. I said already that I didn't much like nobles, so I don't particularly care what happens to me. As long as I have my sword and a goal to aim for, I'm good to go."


	38. David the Waiter

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David hummed to himself as he shuffled back and forth between the washroom and the kitchen, separated by a door in the back of the wall. His hoodie lay messily hanging off the edge of a chair with no evident purpose other than to hold the article of clothing, after he'd decided that the heat being generated by the kitchen, as well as the work he was putting in, had become stifling.

Now, he wore a simple grey T-shirt, emblazoned with two stick figures and the caption "I didn't slap you, i high-fived your face!", a choice of dress that got a few questioning stares from the other staff, though no one actively asked what it meant.

Good thing that evidently no one could read English/Albionian here, or else it might have been deemed offensive, and he didn't have another shirt.

"Hey, noble boy!" one of the maids shouted, using the nickname that Jessica had quickly pinned to him. He stopped in his place, a stack of freshly cleaned plates in his hands, to look at the girl.

She pointed at Louise, who was in the process of yelling at an arrogant-looking customer, and internally sighed. He didn't need to know the series events to have expected that to happen quickly.

"Your sister's causing trouble. Mind filling in for her while we sort out the situation?" she asked, and he blinked, shifting the plates in his hand to a more comfortable position.

"I'm a guy, it wouldn't really fit with the whole maid theme you've got going here. Plus, I'm a bit overloaded here…" he replied.

The girl held her hands to her waist in annoyance. "Everyone else is doing the job they're paid to do, you're just here in exchange for rooming. Just go handle things while Mademoiselle sorts her out. Don't bother with the maid costume...unless you want to, I guess." She gave him a sly smile, and he rolled his eyes.

"Fine, I'll take over for her. Just let me bring these to the back and tell Jessica." he replied, and the girl nodded, walking off to continue making her rounds.

He couldn't help but be impressed that she'd been carrying a tray of drinks the entire time they'd talked.

He sighed and shook his head, pushing open the knobless door to the kitchen with his foot, his eyes instinctively squinting as a cloud of steam blew directly into his face.

The sounds and smells of food being cooked was strong here, as was the loud ruckus of people shouting at each other over the loud mechanical ovens. Honestly, was nothing in this world advanced at all?

The staff here were very different from outside. Kitchen staff had no need to fulfill Scarron's standards for waitresses, so not only was there a bigger variety of clothing beneath the aprons everyone wore, there were also a couple guys in the mix, mostly manning the repair jobs for the frequent breaking of the primitive ovens.

As he made his way around a girl running down the aisle, wielding a spatula (an odd sight since there were no grills in this world), he smiled. This place was similar to an Earth fast food restaurant in here, though there were no processed or grilled foods.

When exactly was the grill invented, anyway?

After setting away the stack of plates where they belonged, he headed back out, quickly talking to Jessica, who simply waved him off, and he headed out of the washroom into the main restaurant, sighing as he watched Scarron apologizing to the noble Louise had assaulted. The maid from before had already handed him a pad and pencil to write on, so he had that covered already.

 _One person in and you already fall apart. You'd better make up for this later, now I have to pick up the slack for you._ he thought, before chuckling to himself.

He didn't really expect her to make up for it, if anything, she probably didn't regret her actions in the slightest. That was just the kind of person she was. A personality as explosive as her magic and a very short fuse. Also a short body, for that matter.

As Scarron brought Louise into the door leading to the stairs, David went over to the noble, bowing to him and smiling.

He was a good actor when pretending to be a noble, let's see how good he was as pretending to be a commoner.

"I'm sorry for Louise's temper." he said to the man, who grumbled and glared at him, holding a napkin to his face to clear off the last of the wine Louise had thrown at him. "Unfortunately, we're a bit short on waitstaff at the moment, so I'll be filling in for her. Will that be a problem?"

The man continued glaring at him, before sighing. "Alright, sure." he said, though he didn't sound happy about the change. "You seem better than that corrosive child, anyway."

David smiled, nodding as he took the wine bottle still resting on the table and refilled the glass, careful not to overflow it as Louise had done. "Give her a break, she's a good enough person once you get to know her. She's just not used to being in the service industry."

"She was shouting about being a noble…" the man said, and David laughed.

"She was, was she?" he asked. "Don't worry about it, it's a bit of an inside joke among the staff. Are you ready to order?"

The man looked at him oddly, before nodding, and David wrote down what he said on the pad (in English, since he still had yet to learn Tristainian).

As he apologized again for Louise's transgressions, he bowed, before walking off to the next customer.

The next one, an odd-looking girl, obviously a noble from her clothing, with a Cheshire cat smile and lipstick as blue as her hair, grinned, looking him over shamelessly.

"Well, well, didn't know this place hires boys too." she said. "And a fine one at that."

He shrugged, deciding to play along with her, not wanting a conflict like Louise had caused. "We had a bit of an incident with one of the maids and I had to fill in." he explained, and the girl laughed, leaning back in her seat and watching him with a fixed expression.

"So I saw. Are nobles not welcome here? I'm a repeat customer, I should get a little better treatment than that peasant!"

David shook his head. "She was formerly a noble, and she's having trouble adjusting, that's all. Nobles are certainly welcome here, Mistress."

The last part he added after observing how all the maids called customers 'Master', just like a maid cafe in any anime, though it only served to aggravate the girl's laughter.

"Stop with the 'Mistress' stuff, just call me Isabella." she said. "That's my name after all." She quickly leaned forward, resting her weight with her elbows on the table. "And what's your name, cutie?"

"David." he replied simply. "Well, then, Isabella. What would you like to order?"

She frowned for a split second, before her grin returned in full. "That's no fun, you're supposed to acknowledge me! Isn't it usually the guy who flirts with the waitresses?"

David rolled his eyes at the girl. "With all due respect, I'm trying to work. I have duties in the kitchen along with this waitstaff thing, so I'm a bit too booked to worry about someone flirting with me." _Not to mention it's just as creepy when a girl does it, just leave me alone!_

Even in this world, there was no rest for the waitstaff, it seems.

He took the opportunity to flip her off, knowing that the hand sign held no meaning in this world, and the satisfaction at her confused face more than made up for how annoying she was being.

She frowned again, before shrugging, leaning back in her seat once again. "Fine. Just get me a T -bone. As rare as possible!" She grinned again. "And...if you ever change your mind, just send a pigeon to Isabella de Martel!"

He nodded idly, humming to acknowledge that she'd said something. He didn't really see a reason to remember her, but he recorded the name in his memory anyway. She could be important for New Divide, though he knew nothing of her family and she was probably just another noble.

From her accent, he had a feeling she was Gallian too, though it was difficult to tell since he could understand every language perfectly now thanks to Louise's misfired spell what seemed like months before. If she was, he seriously doubted she would have any relevance to his plans, considering he planned to be gone long before the whole conflict with Gallia would happen.


	39. Louise's Conflict

David was on his makeshift bed almost as soon as they entered the room, groaning in exhaustion. "I had way more work than I expected…" he complained.

Louise grumbled from her seat curled up on the single bed, her arms crossed in annoyance. "You sure seemed happy, flirting with half the customers." she said.

He glanced up at her from his position on the floor spread. "That was just that one girl, and I got away from her as fast as I could. She creeped me out for some reason." He frowned. "And you got a free pass for the day thanks to that whole fiasco. What were you thinking, we need this place!"

Louise harrumphed. "What kind of room is this, anyway? One bed, no decorations, and I'm pretty sure I saw a mouse earlier!"

"Scarron told me that nobles come here, and they never complain." he pointed out.

He sighed, shifting to cover himself with the sheets and turning away from her. "Anyway, a lot of things happened today and I'm exhausted. Go ahead and complain, I'm going to sleep."

"Night, partner."

"Goodnight, Derf."

He blew out the small candle serving as the sole source of light in the room, and the attic was plunged into darkness, other than the silvery light of the moon entering through the small window.

He closed his eyes in an effort to sleep, before he became aware of Louise shifting on the bed, and mentally sighed as he remembered the scene. He hoped it would turn out differently this time.

~~~skip because doesn't like double spaces~~~

Louise sat in the darkness, arms wrapped around her legs as she stared at the back of the boy lying on the floor.

 _He really doesn't care that I'm his master, doesn't he?_ she thought to herself. _So disobedient...It's like he doesn't understand our caste system…_

She blinked, before smiling. _That's right, I almost forgot. He isn't from this world, he_ doesn't _understand our system…_

She sighed quietly, her smile dropping as she remembered the conversation they'd had during the Ball of Frigg. _He's going to go back to his home someday. He already knows how to, he's just waiting for the first chance he gets._

Did he really hate this world that much? Was it really so bad being here? He acted so peaceful all the time, she found it easy to forget that he didn't like it here.

Or was it not this world that was the problem? Could she be the reason he wanted to leave? She knew that she treated him badly, though she didn't think she'd punished him THAT much...or had she?

...Had she?

Her eyes widened as she realized that she could recall perfectly the several times she'd actively attacked him for some transgression or another, and the many more times that she'd simply ignored him regardless of what he did…

...She couldn't remember ever rewarding him for any of the good things that he did, which were surprisingly many considering how short a time he'd been her familiar and how constricted he'd been to her rigid lifestyle.

She recognized that he still maintained a decent standard of living, even despite being bound to her. Why had she been treating him so badly, anyway?

She had no reason to. Ever since he arrived, she'd given little thought as to his personality, choosing to treat him like a commoner. But he wasn't, was he? He wasn't a commoner, nor was he a noble.

He was just David.

She smiled again, shaking her head. If she told him what she was thinking now, he would laugh with that infuriating laugh of his, a laugh uncaring of whether or not he as speaking to a noble or not, and then he'd tell her she's being silly. He'd point out the many flaws in her thought process, not caring that she was a noble and his master. He'd pick her brain apart and make her feel like it was her fault for being stupid.

And then she'd get angry because she couldn't deny that he spoke the truth and would threaten to whip him, even though she hadn't even brought the riding crop on this mission. He'd laugh at her threat and she'd get angrier because he dared to ignore his future punishment, and then he'd sing her a song and she'd forget why she was angry in the first place.

She was so lost in thought that she didn't even react as a bat flew across her vision to the open window, its squeaking punctuating the deafening silence of the room.

It was always the same, wasn't it? An endless loop of her bullying him and him taking everything in stride. Every interaction they had was identical. Her anger at the tiniest things would get the best of her, and he would do nothing but tease her when she reacted.

It occurred to her that he never teased her unless she was already angry. In the handful of times they'd spoken normally to each other, he would talk to her exactly as he spoke to the buxom maid who always seemed to be around.

She would have felt jealous of that black-haired girl's chest, but for some reason, she understood that David had little to no interest in her, even after he rescued her from Mott's hands.

She still found it hard to believe that he had been the one to reveal the former court messenger's treachery. David had much more to him than she saw, didn't he?

Not that she saw much. She had never before taken the time to even acknowledge that he didn't deserve the treatment she gave him, and she knew without needing to know that he had formed a wall in his heart against her.

For some reason, it hurt her to think about that. She could feel a pang in her chest in the realization that David didn't trust her enough to tell her about the Mott incident, and she had no doubts that he hid even more.

The pigeons that sometimes came to their shared room when he thought she was asleep. The increasingly frequent trading of favors between him and Kirche. How Fouquet had seemed to have moved a few inches from where she lay when she turned her back, even though he'd claimed she was dead. The knowing look he had shared with Henrietta in the palace that he'd thought she hadn't noticed.

She didn't know what relevance all those little things, and the no doubt many more that she hadn't caught, had, but she knew what they meant.

He didn't trust her. It was as simple as that. Her exerting so much of her pent-up frustrations at her family had lead to him shielding his inner thoughts away from her.

The pang in her chest returned, though she couldn't figure out why. Why did it hurt so much to realize that he couldn't see her as he did Henrietta? Why did she care at all?

She knew the answer, of course. She just couldn't admit it. She'd given up on Wardes a long time ago, but she couldn't accept that she may have already replaced him with someone else...least of all her own familiar.

But he didn't see her as his master, did he? So then, why did it matter how she saw him? She couldn't change him no matter how hard she tried, and now, she realized that she didn't want to.

She wanted him the way he was. All of his virtues, all of his flaws, she wanted to preserve everything.

She knew she had little chance of repairing the bridge between them...No, there had never been such a bridge. It was a yawning chasm, an impassable cliff on the other side that she knew she wouldn't be able to climb.

If he heard her thoughts, he'd tell her she was being melodramatic and acting like a child, then he'd pat her head like Cattleya would when she was 6. She'd get angry, he'd mess with her, and the cycle would start again.

She couldn't change herself, just as she couldn't change him. But...with her own problems, she could still try.


	40. Isabella's Wager

"I'm an idiot." Louise said quietly, burying her head in her knees. "I'm an idiot."

David lay in his makeshift bed, eyes closed, though he still hadn't managed to fall asleep. The quiet in the room made her voice sound loud despite it being in a whisper, so it came quite clearly to his ears.

 _What is she talking about?_ he thought. _She sounds like she's about to cry…_

What could have possibly gotten to her like that, barely half an hour after she'd been loudly complaining about everything as usual? He couldn't recall that tone in her voice even in the show…

A noncanon event, obviously, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to just assign it as part of the show like he did for most other things (a habit he was trying to break anyway).

He didn't turn around, or show any sign that he was still awake, for fear that she'd snap at him, but he still listened to her mumbling to herself about trust and walls.

 _Donald Trump would be proud._ he mentally joked, his mind briefly wandering to the politics of his world. He had been taken in February, but he could see how heated things had gotten between the politicians. That was one thing he certainly didn't miss about his world. He was glad he had escaped that mess...though if things went right, he'd return just as the election was happening.

He immediately regretted the thought as a wave of pity came over him. Whatever Louise was worried about, she was clearly suffering, and he'd made a freaking Trump joke. What was wrong with him?

This wasn't just some particularly emotionally-charged scene from an anime. He wasn't safe from its effects behind a screen. This was a real person, a real girl on the brink of tears from whatever was upsetting her.

He felt no desire to comfort her, but he still pitied her. She was always putting up a facade after all, always trying to play the part of the regal noble worthy of being the princess's childhood friend, but he knew that she wasn't really like that. It was her family, the overly rigid de la Vallieres, that made that persona.

She shifted, and the vibration of the floor told him that she was standing now. He envisioned her staring at the back of his head, the usual angry expression on her face, about to punish him for making her sad even though it had nothing to do with him.

He jolted where he lay when he felt the sheets lift and an added weight lean into his back, and he immediately recognized what had happened.

She had gotten in bed with him. He'd expected to be rudely awakened (even though he was already awake) by a slap or a kick, but she'd taken a far different route.

His back stiffened as he felt an arm snake around his side, as she pulled him closer to her. He didn't resist, not wanting her to know that he was awake.

She pulled him in, burying her head on his back, and he could feel liquid through his thin shirt.

She was crying.

"Don't leave…" she whispered, before her breathing levelled to a slow rhythm, signalling that she'd finally fallen asleep.

He didn't respond, and sat in silence for what felt like hours before sleep finally took him too.

~~~The next morning~~~

David woke to an odd sense of emptiness next to him, before he realized that Louise had already gone from the bed. He sat up, blinking away sleep as he looked around the room.

"She already went to work." Derf said. "Apparently she's helping in the kitchen now. The big-breasted girl said you were going to work in the waitstaff again, apparently a lot of visitors liked having a boy in the mix. You might have a permanent job here, eh?"

David laughed, thankful that the sword had hopefully chosen not to mention the night before. "It isn't all that far from the Academy, it is possible!" he replied, standing up and stretching out the kinks in his joints caused by sleep. Derf's constantly optimistic tone was a perfect distraction from thoughts of Louise's actions the night before, and soon, he was back in the mindset of the mission...well, that's what he told himself. In reality, it was actually really enjoyable working at the inn, even with the occasional oddballs like Isabella.

Speaking of her, he'd just set foot in the main room, pad and pencil in hand, as she walked in the entrance, and he sighed, shaking his head as she headed to the table she'd been at the day before. Looks like avoiding the blue-haired Gallian was unavoidable.

He waved to Jessica, before cringing as he heard the sound of a plate breaking from the kitchen. It didn't take a genius to guess which unexperienced klutz had done that.

He sighed, shaking his head and continuing his walk to the closest table in the section he'd been assigned to, which was unfortunately occupied by one Isabella de Martel.

The corners of her mouth lifted in the same grin as yesterday, showing off her bright teeth, which for some reason surprised David. She seemed like the type of person to have fangs.

"Yo, David!" she called, while he was still several tables away, and he sighed and rolled his eyes.

"We're not friends, Isabella." he said, holding his writing pad in front of him, the pencil in his left hand, ready to write. "Don't act like we are. What would you like to order?" The last part he asked exasperatedly, it had become a routine even in the single day they'd been here to say the phrase and it had lost all meaning to him.

Semantic satiation at its finest. He didn't envy the waiters of his world.

The girl frowned. "Hey, sorry about yesterday. I've got this thing where I get excited when I get into something. Can we start over?" she said, and David shook his head.

"I'm not interested, I'd rather find someone a little closer to home." he replied. _Yeah, like a whole dimension closer to home._

Isabella blinked, before laughing. "No, no, not like that! I'm not trying to come on to you, I've got no interest in stuff like that!" She leaned over her table, the grin from before returning in full force. "I want to make a little wager with you, if that's alright. I promise I won't screw you over."

David raised an eyebrow, deciding to humor the girl. Yesterday, she'd left him quite a big tip despite how cold he'd been, he might as well show a little gratitude to her for it. "And what does that wager entail?" he asked.

Her grin widened, if that was even possible, and it was an even stranger sight to see no sharply pointed teeth in her mouth. "I love gambling, yesterday I bet 500 ecu that I wouldn't get food poisoning from eating rare meat, and see, I'm totally fine even though I ordered a rare steak yesterday!"

"Food poisoning generally takes a couple days." the Gandalfr pointed out, and she blinked, her grin twitching a couple times.

"Oh, does it? Then I suppose the bet's still on for that one. If I win, Josette said she'd annul all relations with the family and her title...I really don't like that girl, she was way too confident that she'd win, I'll laugh when she has to leave the family!"

David sighed. Betting away nobility, and annulling at that, nobles were weird. That was a suicidal pact for Josette...a name he vaguely recognized, though no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall any character by that name in the anime. Must have been a similar-sounding name in a different series.

Anyway, the point was that he felt bad for the girl, and to be honest, he kind of hoped Isabella would get food poisoning. It would be her own fault.

"Oh, sorry, I'm rambling! Anyway…" She leaned forward farther. "You've got a scent a lot like someone I hold very dear to me, a very powerful mage."

David shrugged, assuming she was just ranting again. "So?" he asked.

"So, I'm willing to bet that you can change the world, within...Let's say...2 years." she said confidently. "If I lose, I'll be your servant until one of us dies."

David blinked in surprise. "That's a huge wager to be making on a total stranger." he said, and she shook her head.

"Not a total stranger, we know each other's names!" she said. "But in all seriousness...I have a knack for seeing through people, and I see good things from you...Plus, I like you, you're a cool dude from what I've seen. Oh, and if I win...I want that shirt."

He stepped back a pace instinctively at the utterly flat tone in her voice. "Uhh...sure…" he said. "Um...why? It's just a shirt."

"I like the design. I'm nowhere near fluent in Albionian, but the picture is funny. But if I win, I want you to take it off and give it to me like that. If you can't tell, I'm as much a pervert as I am a gambler!"

He flinched at the sultry tone of her voice, before sighing. "If you give me an even bigger tip than yesterday, I'll think about it." he replied. "Now order so I can move on. Talking to you makes me feel like I'm shaving weeks off my lifespan."

"Aww, no need to be so mean. I heard this place has good fish, I'll take some of that."

He nodded, writing down the order. "Some normal food this time, I see. And a drink?"

"Pinot Grigio. Love the stuff." she replied, and he nodded.

"Alright. I've wasted enough time, my manager's glaring at me from her post." he replied, glancing back at Jessica, standing in the washroom and staring at him.

Isabella waved as he walked to the next table, her grin returning in full.

She never lost a bet, and this would be no different.


	41. Chillan the Tax Collector

"You're having fun, aren't you?" Jessica asked as David walked out from the stairway, yawning as he lightly tapped a small bell he'd just noticed a couple days before, the small tinging announcing his presence to the girl who already knew he was up.

"Hmm? What do you mean?" David asked, yawning again. He had been tired recently, exhausted by the mind-numbing routine of asking for orders and copying them down and balancing trays of food across the tavern. If anything, 'fun' was the worst word for it. It was more like he'd become desensitized to it.

He still got up extremely early, usually before Louise did, despite his exhaustion. It was still odd to him, that he could wake up at the crack of dawn when before, in his world, he could sleep past 2 pm if he had nothing to do that day.

Then again, his lifestyle was completely different now than it had been before. It should come as a surprise that his sleep schedule had also changed. He was getting too used to this world.

Jessica grinned, waving toward the tables. "More people than usual are here, and the people in your section tend to come back even if they weren't repeats before. And you actually actively talk to everyone, even though that's usually something the waitresses do."

David blinked a few times, before shrugging. "Isn't it good to interact with customers? It's making me money, at least. How's Louise doing?"

Jessica sighed, groaning and laying herself over the tabletop of the washroom, her forehead connecting with the wood. "That girl is untrainable." she complained. "Why'd you have to go and abandon the kitchen staff? You were so much gentler with everything, you never smashed dishes! She does it every single freaking day!"

David laughed. "She comes back to the room really angry every day. It's a wonder she hasn't whipped me yet."

The girl blinked, staring up at him in surprise. "She...whips you?" she asked in surprise.

David shrugged again, laughing nervously as he realized he probably shouldn't have mentioned that. "She does outrank me, her father is a duke. My parents are nothing special. And she only does it very rarely, usually she finds other, less painful outlets for her anger."

Jessica sighed. "But since you two ran away from wherever you're from, you're both equals, aren't you?" she asked. "Just regular commoners like the rest of us."

He nodded. "I suppose we are-" he said, before he was interrupted by the front door slamming open, particularly loudly compared to how normal people enter doors.

The tavern, already full of people, went silent at the intrusion, and David's eyes narrowed.

The intruder was a portly man, shorter even than many of the students at the academy, though by the way he dressed, the arrogant expression on his face, and the six guards surrounding him, it was obvious that he was a noble.

David didn't really recognize him, so he probably wasn't all that important a character. Then again, the episode he was living through at the moment was only a minor one of little consequence to the overall series.

The man cleared his throat a few times, before Scarron came running over to him.

"I'm sorry, Mister Chillan, but we seem to be out of seats…" the crossdressing man said.

Chillan looked around, his small eyes scanning the room to make sure what the manager had said was true, before he chuckled, snapping his fingers.

Immediately, all six guards pulled out their weapons, large clubs that clearly were not what a guard should be using, and it was as if a bomb had gone off.

Everyone vanished, save for Isabella, who quietly sat at the table she was usually at, sipping at the Pinot Grigio that was already at the table.

She was always the first person there, so David had taken to just setting it out overnight so it would be there in the morning. Evidently she saw no reason to avoid Chillan. Made sense, she was Gallian, he had nothing to do with her.

Of course, the fat man was clearly not aware of her nationality, because he grumbled and walked up to her, because for some reason having one person around wasn't enough, he just had to have no one else around.

"Hey, girl." he said, his voice filled with contempt, as he stood next to her, his arms crossed and his beady eyes staring down at her. "You know who I am, don't you? Why did you not leave?"

She barely reacted, closing her eyes and leaning back to take another sip from her glass, and Chillan growled in irritation, before slamming his meaty hands on the table, causing the wine bottle to rock several times before it regained balance again.

Isabella's eyes opened only a crack, but the glare she shot at him was clear even with the little bit of her eyes that were revealed from under the lids.

"You're lucky my wine didn't fall." she said, her voice void of the enthusiasm she usually had when speaking to David. She looked almost like a completely different person with her mouth turned down. A frown did not fit Isabella de Martel at all.

Chillan tched. "I am the Queen's tax collector. I can tax you out of house and home if you don't obey me, so I suggest that you-"

He was shut up as he suddenly felt the tip of a small wand poking into the flesh of his round stomach. Isabella had drawn her wand, balancing her glass in the other hand.

"I don't care who you are or what kind of job you have." she said calmly. "I am not a Tristainian citizen, nor am I a commoner. And I bet that you could not defeat me in a duel."

David cringed at the tone and wording of her voice. After a week of seeing the girl every day, he knew she never took her bets lightly, even if she did tend to throw them left and right. He had no idea what her magical level was, but he knew she was probably right about being able to defeat the tax collector.

It was strange, seeing her so serious, after the near-permanent grin she usually carried. However, he could tell that things would get too heated very quickly if he didn't intervene, and Louise was too busy in the kitchen to know what was going on.

He would have to step in, and his body had reacted, almost before he knew his plan. He was halfway across the room before he even realized he was moving.

"Excuse me, Mister Chillan." he said, and both nobles snapped to attention, their eyes narrowing almost simultaneously. "If you don't mind, we don't want any fights breaking out here."

The man growled again, staring at the boy. "And who are you to tell me off, peasant boy?" he asked, and David sighed, before sifting through his pockets and pulling out a piece of paper.

"Careful, Chillan the tax collector. I have friends in high places...Friends who can send you out of business." He handed the paper to the man, who took it, uncurling it and looking it over.

Chillan's eyes widened, and his mouth opened as he lowered the paper to stare at David.

"You-You're…" he spluttered, and David grinned, though not nearly as wide as Isabella usually did.

"I would suggest that you either calm down and stop harassing our customers, or leave immediately. If not, I'm sure Henrietta would love to hear that the village tax collector is abusing his power."

He never referred to Henrietta as "Princess", and the habit had a double effect now: Being on first-name basis with the princess, minus and sort of honorifics, made him seem much higher ranked than he actually was.

It had the desired effect, considering how the man's tiny eyes widened, and he quickly backed away from Isabella's table.

"I-I'm sorry, sir-"

"Don't bother with the honorifics. Just call me David." David interrupted, and the man nodded, before he glanced at his guards, who looked between each other, not sure what to do.

"Well...David…" Chillan said, before suddenly reaching into his pocket and pulling out a large bag, and all of the guards did exactly the same, with smaller bags. "Please forgive us and forget all this happened!"

David didn't even have time to react before the fat man practically wobbled out of the door, followed by the guards, leaving their bags of what was probably money all over the floor.

David could do nothing but blink, genuinely surprised that it had been that easy to get rid of the noble.

"Well, looks like you're full of surprises, aren't you, David?" Isabella said, her face splitting back into her typical grin. "Friends with the princess, impressive."

He looked at her, before shrugging, folding the paper (the mission statement, signed by Henrietta) and returning it to his pocket. "We've only met a couple times, I'm just connected to a childhood friend of hers." he explained. "Anyway...I'm assuming you want the usual?"


	42. A Plot Rollercoaster

"I heard you finished the mission without me." Louise said, sitting with her arms crossed on the bed, and David laughed as he picked up Derf's sheath, slinging it over his shoulder and situating it vertically along his back as he usually held it.

"Wasn't on purpose, things just happened that way." he replied. "It was mostly Isabella's doing. She refused to leave, so she was able to rat out the guy we were looking for."

Louise shook her head, jumping up to stand on the wooden floor as David stood to leave. "I still can't believe someone who answers to the Princess was the person harassing commoners here…"

David gave her a skeptical look. She was totally oblivious of her own treatment of commoners, clearly. "Being a commoner myself, I can pretty easily judge how nobles treat peasants."

Louise held her hands to her hips, having completely lost the vulnerable version of her that he'd witnessed on the first night they'd come here. She was back to her normal bratty tsundere self now.

"Don't forget I'm your master." she said, and he waved her off as he went to open the door.

He blinked as he found Jessica standing there, her hand raised in a fist to knock on the wood.

 _Crap. How much did she hear?_ he thought worriedly, but she just smiled at them.

"Heading out now?" she asked, and he nodded. "Sorry to see you go so soon, you were pretty popular...but I guess being personally called by the Princess is a bit more of a pressing matter than us commoners."

"No, no, it was definitely fun." David countered, shaking his head in disagreement with her. "And I actually may come back soon, it would be good to have a somewhat stable income."

Jessica nodded, before grinning, and David gulped at the mischievous expression that grin molded into. "You'll need permission from your master first, won't you?" she asked.

He laughed nervously. "You...heard that?" he asked, and she nodded, before shrugging and waving her hand, stepping aside to let the two temporary residents pass.

"A commoner and his noble master carrying around an order signed by the Princess…" she said, smiling. "I saw nothing and heard nothing. That's how we do things at Enchanted Fairy Inn. Have a safe trip back!"

The two smiled as they left down the stairs and out the front entrance, it being early in the morning and not yet opening time, so there was little issue with David walking around with his sword...though he still wore Louise's school cloak just in case they still needed to play their roles before the carriage that was supposed to pick them up got here.

~~~Later~~~

Oddly, it was far more comfortable, at least to David, riding in the carriage as opposed to sleeping on the floor in the inn, which was strange since he had by now gotten used to sleeping on the hay pile in Louise's room at the academy. He had no idea why, maybe it was because he put near complete trust in Agnes, who was the one currently guiding the horses currently drawing the vehicle.

He liked Agnes, she was one of the few people who sympathized with his situation. Sure, he was pretty popular in the Academy since the Familiar Exhibition, but it was more the kind of popular the hot guy at a high school is. Very few people really cared that he was essentially faking noble just to seem like he fit in.

He didn't need to do that with Agnes. He and she had had very few interactions since he met her (personally, not including all he knew of her from the series), but each time, he knew she was fully aware of his situation as essentially the lone magicless student in an academy of mages.

She probably sympathized with him. She was a noble, a Chevalier at that, but she had no magic either. She had worked her way from literal rock bottom and become a knight of the royal family. He wasn't going to stay long enough to get THAT far along, but he respected her all the same for her accomplishments.

And it wasn't just her achievements, it was her whole attitude. Nine out of ten nobles were either arrogant bastards or were so wishy-washy that he couldn't bring himself to like them. There were a few exceptions of course, most notably Tabitha and and Colbert and possibly Osmond, and Agnes was also on that list.

He appreciated her no-nonsense attitude. It was a nice change from all the insults and jokes nobles would crack at commoners and at each other, and while the Chevalier hadn't exactly helped him when King Henri decided to label him the "King of Commoners", she had still jumped in when he'd decided to stop the ramped-up ranting coming from the excitable king.

The king was the wishy-washy type, and try as he might, he couldn't like the guy. He reminded him too much of Joseph...and nobody likes Joseph.

Well, except Sheffield, but she was a lunatic so she doesn't count.

"You've been awfully quiet back there." Agnes said from the seat outside of the passenger's box of the carriage, and David smiled.

Louise had fallen asleep, lying in a somewhat awkward position with her face flat against the wood below the small window of the vehicle.

"Just thinking about stuff." he replied. "Louise is out cold, it seems."

Agnes nodded, never breaking her eyes from the road ahead of them. "What kind of stuff?" she asked, her voice showing neither boredom nor curiosity.

David shrugged, before realizing she was turned away and couldn't see the motion. "About you, to be honest." he replied, chuckling as she visibly stiffened, though she still remained firmly planted facing forward.

"Me?" she asked, her somewhat deep voice slightly higher than usual, and he chuckled again at the tone.

"Just thinking how you're one of the few nobles I can respect." he explained. "I heard you were originally a commoner like me, but you were able to make yourself one of the most important people in the kingdom, with your role protecting the royal family."

Agnes shook her head a few times, and he had to imagine that her cheeks were flushed, though he couldn't see her face and that thought was exceedingly stupid considering who he was talking to.

"Flattery will get you nowhere with me, David de Wilson." she said, after several moments of nothing but the sound of hooves clopping on the dirt of the pathway. "And it isn't as if I'm a kid who came from another world. Anyone can be a Chevalier, it takes a special kind of idiot to get stuck in another world."

David smirked at the compliment thinly covered by the insult...It was easy enough to see she was returning his flattery. Good, being on good terms with her was something he oddly found himself wanting.

His desire to befriend the swordswoman didn't have anything to do with New Divide or Familiar of Zero or his mental struggle to remind himself he was dealing with people and not characters. He simply genuinely liked the woman, and he had a feeling that she could be one of the few people here who would actually listen to his complaints and ramblings about his world and being trapped here.

Even Henrietta tended to "forget" to reply to the messages that veered in that direction. He did feel a little guilty that he pushed his problems on the purple-haired girl, who he knew was too nice to tell him to stop.

Henrietta was certainly too nice for her own good. The only time he'd seen her really bother standing up for herself was when he first mentioned his world and his plan to her...and even then, she'd cracked quickly. He hoped that she would at least later on follow her anime counterpart and stand up against the enemies of the kingdom more readily, otherwise Tristain would be in trouble when he left.

Then again, they had Henri in power, unlike in the anime when Marianne ruled as queen regnant after his death pre-series...at least, David was certain that he had died before the series started.

It annoyed him that there were details even in the anime that he didn't know for certain, and he knew for a fact that there were light novel exclusive plot points he would have to plan for...and basically the only thing he knew from the light novels was the relationship between Derflinger and Brimir's familiar, whose name he didn't even know, and he seriously doubted that would ever be a useful thing to know since Derf himself remembered next to nothing about the original Void mage.


	43. Tabitha's Suspicions

"Tabitha!" came a voice the blue-haired Gallian knew all too well, and she didn't even have to turn around to know who it was. "There you are!"

Kirche stopped running as she finally got beside the kuudere, leaning down to hold her hands to her shins, her eyes closed as she panted from the effort of running. "Why do you always disappear like that? Where were you?"

Tabitha glanced at her, the hand holding her staff twitching slightly, whether it be from annoyance or happiness that her best friend had found her. "I have been here." she replied simply.

Kiche stood up, moving her hands to cross underneath her chest. "You didn't tell me you weren't going back to your dorm after class!" she complained, and Tabitha simply stared at her with her usual emotionless expression.

"I don't need to tell you every time I do something out of the ordinary." she replied, and Kirche blinked, a slightly shocked look crossing her face.

"Wow, Tabitha, that's more words than you usually say in a full day." she said, grinning to show that she was just teasing the shorter girl. "So what are you doing up here?" She looked over the balcony of the tower they stood on, the height giving an impressive view of the front side of the campus.

Tabitha looked in the direction the Germanian was facing, before walking to the stone fencing along the edge of the balcony, leaning her staff on the barrier before crossing her arms and resting her weight on her elbows, shivering slightly at the feeling of the stone, cold due to how high they were, through the sleeves of her uniform.

"I'm waiting for them to return." she replied, and Kirche sighed.

"Tabitha, we've talked about this. I don't know what you're thinking half the time, playing the pronoun game won't make your point clear."

Tabitha looked at her, her neutral expression making it difficult to gauge if she was insulted or not by the other girl's words. "Louise. And...David." The second name she said in a much quieter voice, looking away from the tan girl, though she remained as flat as ever...save for a small blush on her cheeks.

Kirche blinked. "What about dear David? Tabitha, are you-"

Tabitha shook her head. "Too many coincidences." she said. "Suspicious."

"What do you mean?" Kirche was certainly one of the loosest people in the academy in terms of her...social practices, but she was by no means an idiot. Rather, she was one of the smartest people in her grade level...However, even then, the enigmatic Gallian still often managed to confuse her.

Tabitha looked at the girl, her blush fading as quickly as it had appeared. Despite her face being as level as always, Kirche could see the turmoil in her blue eyes...the only way that she could ever tell what the flat-chested girl was thinking.

"David. He knows things he shouldn't." she said.

Kirche stepped back at the force with which she'd stated the accusation. "Why do you think that?" she asked, and Tabitha shook her head, looking over the balcony at the front gate.

"He is good friends with Sylphid." she said. "Until recently, he spent nearly every day while we were at class in the familiar field, and he and she have developed a close kinship, despite being of different species."

"Well, isn't that normal? They're both familiars, after all." Kirche replied,and Tabitha shook her head.

"It is, but not at the level at which they are tied. He speaks to her with her true name."

Kirche's mouth opened in surprise. She did know of Irukukwu, but for David to know…

"Are you certain?" she asked, and Tabitha nodded, before taking her staff in her hand, and as she did, her right eye seemed to change, the iris turning from light blue to the cyan-green of the rhythm dragon's.

"I often use the familiar senses-sharing spell." she said, and Kirche stepped back again in surprise.

"You...you can use that spell?!" she asked, and Tabitha nodded as her eye went back to normal.

"I am a Chevalier de Gallia, as well as a Triangle-class wind mage. It is simple enough for me to use such a spell." she replied. "And with it, I have seen and heard many things from David…"

Now, Kirche was curious. Not only was Tabitha openly speaking for once rather than hiding everything she thought of, but David had a secret he was hiding...And she wanted to know everything she could about the one man who had resisted her charms.

"What did you learn?" she asked, and Tabitha nodded.

"I am not certain if he knows of the senses-sharing spell, but he talks freely with Sylphid. It seems he has...prior knowledge of events."

"Is it because he's a familiar?" Kirche asked, and she shook her head.

"Even if Louise is a Void mage as I suspect, he could not have such abilities...And it is not as if he has visions. He is consciously aware of events that haven't happened...and I have personally seen him remark about things that are a bit strange."

"Like what?"

"Before the Ball of Frigg, I met with him while he was training. He told me that Louise was 'not as bad as I expected'. That alone was a red flag to me, because before he came here, he should have had no connection to our world, which has been confirmed many times now. And even before that, when we defeated Fouquet…"

Kirche blinked. "Does he have something to do with her?" she asked, and Tabitha shook her head.

"I don't know, but when I cast a detection spell over her body, she still showed signs of being alive. I'm not certain if she was actually dead or if it was simply a mistake on David's part, but he did not hit her with enough force to kill even a commoner."

"So you're saying he's an enemy?" she asked worriedly. Could he really be, after the growing influence he had here?!

Tabitha shook her head once more. "I do not distrust him...but there are things about him I don't understand, and it concerns me. Sylphid is following him on his return to the academy now, and I wish to speak with him before we leave for vacation."


	44. A Secret Title

"We're almost there." Agnes said, and David looked out the window of the carriage, nodding as he saw the rapidly growing walls of the Academy.

"Right…" he said, glancing up at the sky, where sure enough, Sylphid still flew behind them, as she'd been doing since they left the village. He couldn't see anyone riding on the dragon's back, so he assumed Tabitha was just doing reconnaissance...Something that worried him.

Tabitha was incredibly intelligent, he knew, possibly the smartest student in the academy. If she was suspicious of him enough that she'd sent Sylphid to watch him, it could bode very badly for New Divide.

He'd need to think of an excuse that could satisfy even the curious Tabitha.

"David." Agnes said, snapping him from his thoughts, and he turned around to face her, though as with the rest of the trip, she didn't look at him.

"Oh, yeah, Agnes?" he asked.

"I'm sure I don't need to explain this, but keep your new title a secret. King Henri made a foolish decision to make you a full-fledged noble, you do not have the power yet to satisfy the requirements of the title." David noticed how she stressed the word 'yet', but remained quiet as she talked.

"Even Chevalier is too much of an honor for you, as you have done little for the kingdom as a whole other than befriend the Princess...something I'm not personally sure I appreciate, but I will let it slide. There is no rank in the Tristainian order of precedence that could fit you, but I would put you at around the level of Baronet, a rank with no power but that still commands respect in Albion. I'm sure I don't need to explain why I'm telling you all this."

David nodded. "You want me to keep it on the down-low in the Academy, or it'll reflect badly on the royal family." he said, and the knight nodded.

"If 'down-low' means what I think it does, then yes, that is exactly right. When Miss Louise wakes up, please tell her this too."

He noticed as Agnes' shoulders relaxed, and she sighed. "I have a question relating to this subject." she said. "Please answer honestly, this is extremely important."

David's eyes widened as he stared at the back of her head. For someone hiding a secret as big as New Divide, those words were the most dangerous thing he could hear.

"Are you...after the Princess?" Agnes asked, and he blinked several times as he processed the question.

"W-What?!" he asked in surprise, and Agnes sighed again.

"Much of the conversation then was about engaging you two...and correct me if I'm wrong, but neither of you seemed particularly against the idea. I am aware that you spoke with her the night before the Exhibition-"

"Wait, you saw that?" David asked in surprise, and after a moment of silence, Agnes laughed, a dry sound that had little humor in it.

"She isn't the stealthiest of people, isn't she?" she asked. "I know you were thinking it too. Of course we knew, do you think we wouldn't suspect a girl in a cloak running around in high heels? We simply chose not to investigate all that much, Henrietta is...known for doing things like that. She's escaped the castle many times using that cloak, almost all of the palace guards recognize it by now, including me. However...this is the first time that she actually met with someone specifically, and the first time she removed her hood to speak. That's why I am asking about your relationship. It is not normal behavior for the princess of a kingdom to be meeting up with some boy...No offense to you, now that I have had a chance to gauge you, I don't particularly dislike you."

David took a moment to digest the information, before laughing, slightly nervously despite his effort to hide his embarrassment at the thought. "Wait...you thought that was...some sort of, what, a tryst? No, that was the first time we'd met! She was actually visiting Louise, and we ended up talking because she was interested in the 'commoner familiar.' Don't worry, we're just friends, nothing more."

Agnes was silent, before nodding. "Right, I apologize for suspecting you." she said.

"It's alright, it's your job to worry about Henrietta after all. Though it is strange that your first assumption was that we had a romantic relationship...Oh, are you possibly jealous?" His face lit in a grin as her head bent down, and she was no doubt blushing.

"A Chevalier does not get jealous!" she exclaimed, and David laughed.

"Don't worry, you've still got a chance with her, I won't get in your way." he said.

For the first time during the trip back, Agnes' head whirled around to face him, her face a combination of shock and annoyance. "W-What are you saying?!" she asked, her cheeks red as he'd expected.

"Oh? Am I wrong? It's clear how much you worry about her, I assume that that's because you have a bit of a crush on her...Or maybe more?"

His grin dropped at the angry face she made, and she shouted in annoyance, a wordless sound that jarred Louise awake, leaving the pinkette looking blearily around the cabin, though the two ignored her.

"Are you insinuating that I…" She shook her head, unable to finish the sentence. "I am not a lesbian!"

David blinked. "You're not?" he asked, genuinely surprised by her tone. "I mean, there's nothing wrong with it…"

"I am not!" she snapped, for the first time since he'd met her genuinely angry. "Why do so many people spread rumors like that?! When have I ever given any signals suggesting such a thing?! What, because I have little interest in men, I must therefore be into women?!"

David waved his hands in front of him in an effort to calm down the enraged Chevalier, who was only just managing to keep the horses drawing the carriage on the right path instead of jerking them to the side. "H-Hey, calm down, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you mad! I hadn't heard any rumors, I was drawing my own conclusions!" _Still, you have at least the tendency, considering your first thought in Season after being caught was to kiss Louise…_

Agnes glared at him, before closing her eyes and breathing deeply a few times, seemingly calming down as she did so. "Good. Don't make that mistake again. I have very few things that can crack me, but that is one of them. Next time I may draw my sword."

David gulped at the thought. Even with Gandalfr on his side and Derf only an arm's distance away, the thought of duelling Agnes was more terrifying than the idea of being alone with Kirche for a day.

Well, being alone with Kirche was a little bit scarier, but the point is, it's not a fun thought.

"R-Right…" he said, and she turned around.

"Well, we're just about there, get ready to leave." she said, and he nodded, pushing on the still half-asleep Louise to wake her up as they entered through the front gate.


	45. The Fist Bump

**Sorry for the lack of updates, I've had the flu for the last several days and couldn't focus on anything. But I'm back now, so here you go!**

* * *

As the carriage rolled to a stop, David gently pushed Louise to wake her up fully after she'd passed out on his shoulder. As she woke, she looked around blearily, staring at him with the half-lidded eyes he was used to seeing whenever she woke up.

Well, she usually looked like this. Sometimes she'd wake up angry and he'd pay the price...though luckily, he'd only felt her riding crop three or four times since coming here.

The memory of those times stung, but none of those had left permanent marks, so to him, they simply served as temporary wake-up calls as to who held the keys to his runes. Louise wasn't nearly as bad as she was in the anime, and, he assumed, the light novels, but she still had a tendency to react violently to many things...and he couldn't always calm her down in time.

Once again, he was taken from his thoughts by the sound of Agnes calling to him.

"I'm not taking you farther than the entrance, this carriage is recognizable by the staff and it would cause trouble if they saw me escorting you two." she said as she dismounted the seat attached to the front of the passenger part of the carriage, and after briefly checking to make sure the two horses carrying them were calm and had stopped moving, went to Louise's door, opening it to let her out first.

Louise seemed almost reluctant to leave David's side, but stepped out anyway, after taking her cloak back from him, complaining about how he'd stretched it out as she fastened the pentagram pin.

David sighed and shook his head as he got out beside her, looking around at the familiar sight of the academy. There were a few carriages, among other modes of transportation, including at least three dragons, dotting the area, which he assumed were students preparing to leave for the break. After scanning the area for a bit, he noticed Sylphid, who'd followed them all the way from the village, it seemed, landing next to a carriage, and he could easily recognize the flaming red hair of the Germanian noble, though he couldn't see Kirche's body since she was just sticking her head out of the carriage to talk to someone, though Tabitha was oddly nowhere to be seen...Probably tucked away beside her friend, hiding from the window. He smiled as he imagined her sitting with a book in hand as she usually was.

He blinked and turned his attention back to Agnes, who, along with Louise, was staring at him with a strange expression, and he laughed sheepishly.

"Sorry, got distracted. A lot of people leaving, aren't there?" he asked.

"Well, of course they are, not many people like staying here on vacation." Louise said, as if an off-worlder should know the schedule...Which, to be fair, wasn't all that presumptive, considering he'd been here for several months now.

He really did need to get a school calendar, considering he'd recently started actually attending classes. Granted, he rarely paid attention and did spend his fair share of time with the other familiars after he'd nearly been knocked out by a complaining Verdante once.

That mole was _heavy_.

"Well, it's time for me to depart." Agnes said as she made her way back to the driver's seat of the carriage. "Remember what we talked about earlier, alright? I'll be coming after you if you slip up."

David grinned, holding out a hand in a fist to her, and she looked at him with narrowed eyes, one hand instinctively reaching to one of her pistols.

"Are you really thinking of challenging me?" she asked. "Surely you know you will lose."

David blinked, before laughing, keeping his hand raised in the motion. "I'm not challenging you. I don't have a death wish. Trust me, just copy me, there's no harm in doing it."

Agnes stared doubtfully at him for a few seconds, before shrugging, holding her arm, wrapped in her usual armor, out to him, her hand in a fist as his was, and he smiled, tapping her hand with his before lowering his arm.

She blinked as she returned her hand to holding the reins of the horses. "What was that?" she asked, and he laughed again.

"It's called a fist bump. It's just a thing we do in my world, like an acknowledgement between friends. Basically it means that we've sealed the deal." His smile seemed to be infectious, as even the usually stoic, and recently, slightly annoyed, Agnes had a slight tilt upwards to her normally flat mouth.

"I hear that Gandalfr always keeps his spoken word." she said. "But I suppose that this 'fist bump' holds more meaning to you, doesn't it?" she asked, and as he nodded, her smile grew. "It is not a bad concept...Perhaps I will use it with my subordinates."

He laughed. "Sure, go ahead...It's not my fault though if it exist in some other kingdom as a different meaning though." he replied, and Agnes shook her head.

"If it does, then it's a very new signal. All five nations use roughly the same signals for most things...other than secret messages, of course...but I'm not allowed to tell you any more than that." As she lifted the reins to start the horses moving again, she smiled. "Take care of yourself, both of you. I don't want to hear that Odekoron Knight was killed by anything short of an invasion."

David chuckled drily. "If I die, the slashes will be along my chest." he promised as the carriage turned away.

Strangely, the promise hadn't been all that forced. Even this early on, he was finding himself more and more like Saito...well, the good side of Saito, he never wanted to be the perverted idiot that the Japanese boy usually was, and while he still planned to leave before Albion attacked, he fully intended to fight if the need arose.

He was defending real people after all.


	46. Sylphid's Friend

As the pair walked toward the academy, David looked up as a shadow passed over them, and grinned, stopping in his step as Sylphid landed in front of them.

"Sylphid, it's good to see you again." he said, and she cooed, lowering his head so he could run a hand along the top of her snout, her eyes closing at his touch and her making her sound as if she was a giant cat.

She never did find out why he'd called her "a big blue Toothless" once. Her teeth were visible, after all…

Louise stood still and watched the interaction with a mixture of confusion and interest. "Are you good friends with Sylphid?" she asked, and the two interacting familiars looked at her, David's smile speaking for both of them, and his hand continued idly petting her head as he talked.

"Yeah, it's a good idea to make friends with your equals, right?" he asked, and Louise's eyebrow seemed to twitch at his wording, but he ignored it and looked back at Sylphid, his smile never dropping. "And we're the best of friends, aren't we?" he asked the rhythm dragon, who tilted her head a bit, before cooing in response, and he laughed. "I have no idea what you just said, but I hope it was nice."

"Well, looks like someone's getting along." came a voice, and the two humans looked to the source.

David sighed at the sight of the girl, whose hands met her hips as she leaned over, causing her breasts to hang down in what was obviously a very purposeful motion, her face lit in her usual grin.

"Oh, hey, Kirche." the Gandalfr said, and she frowned, standing up straight again.

"Is that how you respond after we haven't talked in ages?" she asked, and he waved her off, which only served to annoy her.

"David." said the familiar quiet voice of Kirche's best friend, and Tabitha appeared from behind Kirche, oddly enough not carrying a book like she usually did.

Her dead stare seemed to make Kirche forget all about David ignoring her, and the Germanian stepped aside to let the flat-chested girl move forward, not stopping until she was standing right in front of the human familiar, who took a step back at her advance.

"Uhh...Hey?" David said, unsure what the girl was doing, and from the growling he suddenly heard from behind him, Louise's feelings over the closeness between them were clear.

"Hello." Tabitha said simply, before lightly tapping the tip of her staff on the ground and turning her head slowly to face Sylphid, and her free hand extended to rest on the dragon's snout next to David's. Her familiar's eyes closed again at her master's touch, and a small smile played along her face. "She appreciates you saying hello." she said, and David blinked, before realizing that the girl was talking about Sylphid.

"Heh, yeah. Why wouldn't I? She's my friend after all." he said, and Tabitha chuckled once, in such a low volume that he almost missed it.

"You are human, yet you appreciate the other familiars as though they were family." she said, in her typical flat voice, making it hard for him to understand what she was implying.

"Well, yeah, why wouldn't I?" he asked, removing his hand, before Sylphid made a sound as if she was begging to him, which only stopped when he returned his hand to her snout. He smiled at her, for a creature of at minimum a human level of intellect, she really did act like a giant pet.

Tabitha was silent as she turned her gaze to Louise, who blinked a few times before pointing at herself.

"Uhh...why are you staring at me?" she asked, and Tabitha shrugged, briefly looking back at David before turning back to the void mage.

"Kirche and I are heading to Gallia for the break. I'd like permission to take David too." she said suddenly, and David blinked, before jumping back in surprise.

"Wait, what?!" he asked, though Louise was silent for several seconds before responding, and, in typical Louise fashion, brandished her wand, though the blue-haired Chevalier remained unfazed.

"A-A-Are you trying to steal my familiar?" she asked. "Why would I give him up so easily? Why do you even want to take him? What are you planning?" The girl's questions flew as fast as the hand that waved her wand in grandiose motions, though she clearly was just flailing rather than casting any sort of legitimate spell.

Tabitha's face was cast in stone as she looked at the raging pinkette, and Kirche laughed nervously from behind her, tapping the Gallian's shoulder.

"You...didn't tell me you wanted to bring him…" she said. "Is that...really a good idea, considering how...clingy Louise is to her stuff?"

Tabitha looked at her best friend. "I would have thought you would be excited to have him along." she said, before turning back to Louise, ignoring David's confused reaction. "Louise." she said, and the other noble calmed herself down enough to listen...a remarkable feat to David, but one that Tabitha barely registered. "I will not try to 'steal' your familiar. I simply wish to speak with him, and I don't want to wait until I return to the academy. He will not be gone long."

Louise stared at her. "...You never ask anyone for anything, least of all me. What could you possibly want to talk to this dog about?" she asked, though the insult was only halfheartedly spoken, a tone that David noticed, though he chose not to comment as Tabitha looked at him again.

"David. Do you dislike the thought of being with me for a while?" she asked, before shaking her head. "Do you dislike the thought of being around Kirche for a while?" she amended, much to the tanned tramp's indignation.

David laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Well…" He glanced at Louise. "What do you think? I mean, I'm not exactly on board with the idea, but…"

Louise crossed her arms, closing her eyes with a hmph. "Do what you want." she said, before she began to walk, going around them and heading to the academy.

David watched her leave, sighing. _Well...I don't think this'll mess with New Divide too much, though if Tabitha suspects me enough to ask to talk with me, it could be dangerous...Oh, well, I can't get out of this without seeming suspicious...At least it's only a minor event that I'm changing, I doubt it'll make much difference for Louise not to get the whole love potion mess started."_

An event he had been fearing for a while. If anything, Tabitha's decision had spared him from that pain...and if he went with her, he could meet the water spirit anyway, even though that didn't really serve much plot relevance.

Well, other than the whole sparing Tarbes from being flooded, that was kind of important...Good thing he had Derf on his side, since if he remembered correctly, the sword was an old friend of the water spirit.


	47. Written Language

It was quiet in the carriage. Kirche stared out the window, sitting next to Tabitha, who was reading a book as she always did, and David sat across from them, looking awkwardly between them.

 _This silence is so awkward…_ he thought, glancing beside him at the guitar case that he'd decided to bring along.

"It's so peaceful, isn't it?" Kirche asked suddenly, breaking the silence, the boredom finally getting to her.

David blinked a few times, before nodding. "Yeah, it really is…" He sighed, crossing his arms. "It's a nice change from the village nearby, that's where Louise and I were for the last week."

Kirche tilted her head. "Oh? What happened there?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"Just met a few...odd people." he replied. "Like a Gallian girl who made some sort of insane bet with me for whatever reason."

Tabitha's eye twitched and she glanced up from her book. "Isabella?" she asked quietly, and David blinked, looking at the quiet girl.

"You know her?" he asked, and she hesitated, before nodding slowly.

"Isabella…" she said, turning back to her book, but her attention was still on David. "Avoid her. Dangerous." she said.

He felt a shudder go down his spine at her words. Tabitha never warned about someone unless they really were a problem...or was Isabella connected to the de Orleans family somehow?

Her hair was thee same shade of blue as Tabitha's, but that was where the similarity ended...It just didn't make sense that they could be related.

Silence fell again, and Kirche laughed in an effort to break it. "So…" she said, trying to think of a topic to fill the silence with.

"David." Tabitha said, and he nodded for her to continue. She turned the book she was holding in his direction and held it out. "Read this page out loud."

David blinked. "Uhh...why?" he asked, and she made direct eye contact, her dead stare seeming to bore into him.

"I want to see how much Tristainian you can read." she answered, holding the book out for him to take.

He accepted it, slightly reluctantly. She no doubt had some sort of ulterior motive for her request, but it couldn't hurt...plus, he needed to brush up on his reading since he knew only rudimentary French.

Gallian and Tristainian were very similar languages, so it would be good for helping him communicate with Henrietta and Agnes as well.

He took the book, glancing at the cover. An unfamiliar image, though it seemed to be a mosaic depiction of some sort of hero, wielding what looked like a representation of Excalibur. The title read "Un Serviteur de Héros". Servant of a Hero, if he remembered correctly.

He turned to the page Tabitha had had it open to, glancing at it while he read. "Il n'a pas compris. Qu'avait-il fait mal? Qu'avait-il fait pour être trahi comme ceci?"

He read a few more passages, before blinking. "It's...I can't really understand all of it, but I can get a little. I kind of get what it's about." he said, handing the book back to Tabitha, who accepted it with an odd look on her face.

"Our languages use the same written characters?" she asked, and he nodded.

"English is written and spoken much like Albionian." he explained. "And Halkgeinia is a lot like a counterpart to Europe in my world, so as far as I know, all the languages on the continent use the same characters...Don't know about Elvish though...And I definitely don't know how to read most of the runic symbols yet, other than a couple."

"The ones on your hand?" she asked, and he lifted his left hand and nodded.

"Gundolf, or Gandalfr. And Sylphid's are Ingep, Verdante's are Pesbem, and Flame's are Eydya. That's...pretty much the extent of my understanding." _Other than the verbal versions of the Brimiric familiars, but I've got no clue what the symbols on those are, other than mannaz._

"That's pretty impressive, even I don't know Flame's runic characters." Kirche said, and the salamander, which was sleeping on the floor of the carriage, lifted his head, hearing his name. She smiled and patted his back with her foot, and his head lowered between his forelegs again, though he kept his eyes opened and trained on his master.

David smiled at the familiar, but didn't acknowledge him. Flame's weight on his feet was enough contact, he didn't need any more to be recognized.

"When you spend as much time around them as I do, you notice things that you normally wouldn't." he replied. "By the way, where is Sylphid? Is she not following behind us? Couldn't see her outside earlier."

"Already there." Tabitha explained, and David blinked.

"How far are we from there now?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"You have ridden her before, you know how fast she is." She folded the page she was on and closed the book, setting it on her lap and looking at him, staring into his eyes as she'd done earlier. "She is another thing I wish to speak to you about." she said

There it was. The suspicious tone he had been dreading. He should have known this was coming, this was the whole reason he was coming along with her in the first place.

"What do you mean? What about her" he asked, deciding to play dumb for as long as it would help, and she shook her head.

"You called her Sylphid, as everyone else does. However...You know her true name as well."

David flinched, a motion that he hoped was small enough that it would go unnoticed. Sadly, the blue-haired girl's companion was more observant than that.

"Oh, so she was right! You do know about it!" Kirche exclaimed, and he flinched again.

Here he was, put on the spot. He could easily lie...but he'd have to be careful about his wording, because as Gandalfr he is completely loyal to his spoken word, whether he liked it or not.

"I...don't not know what her name may not not be, but I don't not not know what it doesn't not mean." he said.

Kirche stared at him, and held her hand up, probably to count the nots, and he had to hold in a laugh.

"So you do know." Tabitha said, and he looked down. Leave it to her to follow along perfectly with the confusing mess of what he'd just said.

"...Yes, I do." he said, giving up.

"Then say it."

"...Irukukwu."


	48. Charlotte de Orleans

**Hello, readers! I apologize for the wait, I've been spending a lot of time playing a game recently and have been neglecting my writing...I apologize for that!**

 **In other news, now that things are beginning to deviate noticeably from the canon, I am starting to really need people to help me out. As someone who, like David, has only seen the anime, I have had trouble with LN-only points, so I'd appreciate if anyone who has read them would help provide differences, and advice on how to integrate the differences into the plot. I'm sure I've missed some things and I will no doubt continue missing others, but I want to include as much as possible (Hopefully nothing is so major that it could break the things I have planned for the endgame arcs).**

 **Special thanks to MasterxMaster and Knorles for your help in earlier chapters, and to Gnao El Nart, I've already planned on some of your ideas (a water pump would certainly make Siesta's life easier)!**

* * *

"Irukukwu." David repeated, and Tabitha nodded.

"Correct. Another question. What do you know of Charlotte de Orleans?"

She spoke in a completely natural voice as she mentioned her real name, and Kirche blinked.

"Isn't she-" she was about to say, before Tabitha held a hand up, cutting the tanned girl off and looking at her from the side.

"Let David answer. Don't give him any hints." she said, and Kirche blinked, before nodding, falling silent and looking down at Flame, who was looking curiously at her.

Tabitha turned her gaze back to David, and nodded, motioning him to speak.

David sighed. "How honest do you want me to be?" he asked, glancing at Kirche. "Do you want her to know?"

"I was going to tell her about Charlotte anyway, this is killing two birds." she replied, and David nodded.

"I'm probably off in my information, but I know her mother took a poison meant for her and lost her sanity." he said. "And that Charlotte changed her name because of it."

Tabitha nodded. "Then that means you are aware of where she is now."

"Yeah. Sitting right in front of me." he replied, in a completely flat voice, as if it was obvious, to which Kirche gasped in surprise.

"Wait...what?!" she asked, looking between him and the small girl. "Tabitha, you're…"

Tabitha looked at her. "I am surprised you didn't figure it out by now, after I told you I am a Chevalier de Gallia." she said, tilting her head. "You are an intelligent person, Kirche. I had thought I'd given you enough hints for you to connect the dots."

"..." Kirche sighed, crossing her arms and closing her eyes, her head tilting down in thought. "Hmm…" she said, and David could practically see the gears turning in her head. "Founder, you're right…How didn't I think of that before?!" she said, her eyes lighting up in realization as she stared at her friend.

Tabitha's mouth curled up in a small smile, before she turned back to the Gandalfr. "As for you...You know quite a lot about me already, don't you?" she asked. "I wasn't planning on telling you before, but...I've suspected this for a while, but you have some sort of predictive power, don't you? I have never heard of such a spell, but I don't know what else could explain your foresight."

David flinched. There it was, she'd flat-out said it now. She knew about his movements.

 _I can't let her know about Familiar of Zero, who knows what chaos would come from telling her about that...Think, David, think!_

He blinked. The answer was right there, it wasn't even very far-fetched to assume...A lucky break, clearly.

"I don't really know anything about prediction…" he said. "You're forgetting something, though."

Tabitha blinked. "What did I forget?" she asked, and he grinned.

"You gave me all the information I need to answer your questions with what you were saying." he replied. "Take Sylphid, for example. I knew her real name, yes, but remember that rhythm dragons have the same, if not higher, intellect as many humans do. I don't know if she told you directly, but she told me...sort of." He laughed, an intentionally sheepish-sounding laugh to add to his story. "I asked her once if that was her name, and she made those cooing sounds she usually makes, but I noticed that she has different inflections and such when she talks like that...So it sounded like she was saying that word. I asked her if she had said that, and she nodded to me, so I started using it."

A whole lot of bullcrap, but Tabitha seemed to accept the answer. David breathed a sigh of relief.

Hopefully Tabitha's acceptance of his answer meant that Sylphid hadn't told her anything using her human form. He hadn't even thought of it until just now, but with her transformation, she could easily communicate with a human, even if she couldn't in her true form…

"And what is your explanation to knowing my identity?" she asked, and in response, David simply looked at her with as doubtful an expression as he could muster.

"It was kind of obvious, you referenced a completely unrelated name to the conversation and then gave a lot of hints that you were talking about yourself...I doubt many people wouldn't figure you out if they were paying attention."

Tabitha smiled. "You're a strange person." she said. "And before you say it, I know that's hypocritical of me to say."

Kirche, already completely lost in the conversation, groaned. "How long until we get there, anyway? My back hurts…"

Tabitha and David broke their gazes and looked at her.

"We will be there soon. We just passed the gate. We are within the estate now."

David whistled as he looked out the window. "Big place, it's like the old 1800s mansions of my world…" he said, getting a strange look from his two companions.


	49. Charlotte's Rage

Kirche whistled as the three left the carriage, standing with her hands on her hips as she looked up at the large mansion. "So you even live in the royal castle...Man, you should have mentioned this sooner! Don't expect me to figure something this big out on my own, just tell me next time!"

David looked sideways at her, while Tabitha simply walked forward to greet the butler who'd come from the front door, and was now standing with a slightly forced smile at Kirche's comments.

After speaking with the butler for a few moments, Tabitha waved the two in, and they followed behind her. Kirche came in with no problem, but when David passed the man, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"I apologize for stopping you, and I know it is not my right to question Lady Charlotte's friends, but that is a strange style of clothing you have. Is there some new fashion trend going on in Tristain?"

David blinked. "Uhh...No, I immigrated to Tristain from America. Far as I know, it hasn't caught on yet."

The butler tilted his head curiously. "I've never heard of a country called 'America', but then again, I am not well-informed of the politics of other kingdoms. I'm simply Lady Charlotte's butler, after all."

"Yes, you are, and please stop harassing David." Tabitha said, with an uncharacteristically irritated tone, which was such a surprise that the butler backed off immediately.

David waved her off. "Calm down, he was just asking a legitimate question." Tabitha sighed, before nodding.

"Sorry, I just don't like it when people interrogate my friends." she said, before turning around, while Kirche simply stood between them, unsure what to do.

The butler smiled, bowing to David. "I apologize, I meant no harm. I simply thought it would be a good idea to test the first boy that Lady Charlotte has ever called a friend. Her mother is very overprotective, you see, so-"

"I don't think my mother would care who I can and can't be friends with." Tabitha said, the increase in the number of words per sentence proportional to the amount of venom in her voice, and as she turned around, David flinched at the expression on her face.

He hadn't even been aware that Tabitha could _get_ angry, much less be as she was now. Her blue eyes were narrowed and filled with barely-concealed rage, and she was at the cusp of tears.

This was something entirely new to him. Seeing Tabitha emotional was something he had been completely unprepared for, and from the shocked look of Kirche and the butler's faces, it was unexpected to them too.

Tabitha's hand not carrying her staff was balled into a tight fist as she stomped forward to the butler, passing by Kirche, who held a hand out before deciding against it and bringing it back.

"Never mention my mother again, I don't want to hear about her!" she shouted, and David had to step back at the force of her voice. An angry Tabitha was something terrifying at a completely different level from anything else this world could throw at him. He was glad it wasn't him at the end of her words, but he felt bad for the butler. "My mother has nothing to do with my life, she just sits in that stupid room and hugs that stupid doll and crows about a daughter she can't even recognize! Don't ever use her as an excuse for anything, least of all questioning the few people I do choose to be close to! Can you really trust me so little that you think I'd just befriend anyone who gave me attention?!"

After her rant, Tabitha stood panting, glaring at the butler, who stood stock still, staring at her in shock, unable to comprehend what was likely one of the first times she'd reacted so violently to anything.

The room fell into a dead silence as she stared at the butler, before turning around and running off into the depths of the house, and David could see tears falling from her face in the split second before the door slammed behind her.

"Tab-Hey, wait!" Kirche said, before David shook his head, holding her back with a hand on her shoulder, much as the butler had done to him earlier, though this time it held a completely different meaning.

"Partner." Derf suddenly said, lifting himself from his sheath, his voice quieter than usual...Another oddity, David hadn't known a sword could have tone in its voice, but right now, there was a bigger thing to worry about than his sword reading the mood.

"What is it, Derf?" David asked through gritted teeth, and glanced at the butler, who acted as if he didn't notice the talking sword.

"You need to calm down." the sword said, and he blinked.

"I am calm." he replied, and if the sword had a head, it would no doubt be shaking it.

"You're trembling, partner. Look at your hands. Don't defy me, I've lived a long time. I can tell when my wielder is frustrated."

David blinked, before raising his hands as Kirche studied him with a curious expression, along with some other emotion he didn't really try to pay attention to, and to his surprise, he found that the sword was right.

His hands were shaking, and his runes were randomly flashing as if he was holding a weapon. As he realized Derf was right, he noticed that his whole body was trembling just as his hands were, and after glancing at Kirche, he could tell that she was looking at him in what seemed to be...fear?

Why was she afraid? Was she simply that distraught at her friend's outburst? He could understand it, Tabitha was the mild-mannered extremely quiet bookish dandere type, for her to act like that had to be as huge a surprise to her as it was to him.

"David...are you okay?" the tanned girl asked, and he blinked several times, before closing his eyes and folding his hands together, inhaling and exhaling deeply in an effort to calm himself.

Once he felt his trembling stop, he opened his eyes and unfolded his hands, smiling to her. "Yeah, I'm good now...but Tabitha…"

"Comfort her." Derf said, and the two looked at the sword.

"What?" Kirche asked. "She was on the verge of using a spell just now, trying to get involved would-"

"I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to David." the sword snapped. "Partner, go comfort her."

"What would I do? She doesn't trust me anyway, what possible use could I be?"

"It's precisely because she is suspicious of you that you should talk to her. You know where she's gone, and you know what to say to calm her down. Use that manipulative mind of yours to win her over again."

"I won't allow that." Kirche said, and David looked at her. She folded her arms under her chest and looked at him with a serious expression that didn't fit her personality at all. "David, remember that favor you asked of me, about the heirloom book?"

David blinked. "What does that have to do with-"

Kirche interrupted him with the raise of her hand, and the grim tone of her voice caught his attention immediately. "I'm calling on that now. We're going on a little date in the town. Don't try to worm your way out of it either, I happen to be _very_ persuasive when I want to be."

"What possible reason could you have for going on a date when Lady Charlotte is like this?!" the butler suddenly shouted, before coughing into his fist. "I apologize, I should not question you. It is best to let her be for a while. I will escort you to the town, so please follow me."

The butler grabbed onto their wrists with more force than he probably should have considering that in his view, both of them were nobles, but neither complained as he pulled them out of the front door of the mansion, though David remained confused as to why things had changed so suddenly.


	50. A Date with Kirche

**Woo, Chapter 50! Have to admit, it crept up on me, but I managed to get an interesting thing planned for it!**

 **Erosdeath, I know your ships have been all over the place, but bear with another one added!**

 **If anyone has questions or criticism, please review or PM, and enjoy chapter 50!**

* * *

David awkwardly stood next to Kirche,arms crossed and sighing as she attempted to communicate with an outdoor shop owner. It seemed that, oddly enough, despite her being best friends with Tabitha and being fluent in Tristainian, she didn't know a word of Gallian. Odd considering how similar the two languages were.

After spending several moments watching the tramp making overly exaggerated hand motions and speaking very slow Germanian, he groaned and uncrossed his arms, walking beside her.

"Okay, I'll order." he told her. "You have no clue how to pronounce any of this, do you?"

She looked at him, before sighing and looking at the ground in defeat, her arms hanging to her sides. "Germanian uses completely different symbols…" she admitted. "And...Tabitha usually reads Tristainian writing for me…"

David tilted his head. Was Germanian not the equivalent to German in his world? He made a mental note to ask later. "Fine, I'll order instead…" he replied.

Kirche blinked. "You speak Gallian?" she asked, and he laughed and nodded.

"Yeah. When I first came here, Louise tried to fire a silencing spell at me, and it backfired and now I can speak any language. Plus I know a bit of French...that's my world's equivalent to Gallian."

Kirche blinked. "Ти розумієш мене?" she asked, and David nodded. She blinked again, before nodding. "...That's freaky, I've never heard of a spell that can do that."

He shrugged. "I've gotten used to it by now. Anyway, what are you trying to get?" he asked, looking into the shop, where the shopkeeper was looking curiously at them.

He sighed and shook his head. He hadn't thought of Kirche as one to wear jewelry, yet here she was at a parlor selling all kinds of necklaces and rings and such.

"..." He sighed again. "Which one do you want?" he asked, and Kirche blinked.

"That one." she replied, pointing to a small gold ring, embedded with a round emerald that was engraved with the pentagram symbol that marked a mage.

He nodded, looking at the ring's label for a second, before turning to the shopkeeper. "She was asking for the Elvish Pentagram ring." he said, and the shopkeeper nodded, bending over to take the ring out from the display.

"She has a good eye, this one's elf-made." she told him as Kirche watched with excitement, and he blinked.

"Elf? I thought elves were considered bad." he said, and the shopkeeper laughed.

"It's mostly the nobles in the northern countries that think that way." she replied. "Commoners are more lenient usually, and here in Gallia, especially here in Versailles and the capital city Lutèce. Of course, you don't usually see elves outside of Nephthys regardless of what kingdom you're from."

David nodded. "Eh...how much is this?" he asked, to which the shopkeeper smiled.

"15 gold. That particular ring hasn't sold in months, so it's pretty cheap." she replied, and he nodded, reaching to the pouch of money Henrietta had given him as a backup during the last mission.

Kirche, seeing the motion, stopped his arm. "I can pay, I just needed help reading!" she told him, and he blinked at the grin that played on her face. "But thanks for offering!"

 _She's oddly excited…_ he thought to himself. _Oh, right, this is supposed to be a date...I completely forgot._

Come to think of it, this was the first date he'd ever been on. He had never been interested in romance even in his world, so this was a foreign concept to him...though luckily, it so far seemed to be going as a typical anime date would.

Wouldn't that be ironic, having the final ship be with Kirche, the person he least cares about?

As Kirche paid for the ring, she chatted with the shopkeeper, who naturally had little idea what she was saying, before turning to David, grinning as she set it on her right index finger...a location that probably held some sort of meaning, but David knew absolutely nothing about ring etiquette, so he couldn't imagine what it meant.

"How does it look?" she asked, and he blinked.

"It looks good." he said. "Fashionable...I think."

Kirche laughed as they thanked the shopkeeper and walked away. "You boys have no idea how fashion works, I bet your exes got annoyed sometimes."

David shrugged. "Never had any, I haven't had any reason to learn." he replied, and she stared at him in surprise.

"Really...you've _never_ had a girlfriend? How is that possible?!" she asked, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why is that surprising? Do I really seem like the kind of person who would care about that sort of thing? Besides, back on Earth, I wasn't all that popular."

Kirche shook her head in disbelief. "You're the most well-known commoner in Tristain at this point, that's just too hard to believe that you would be ignored! Does your world not appreciate your music?"

David laughed, waving his hand. "In my world, guitars aren't rare. They're used in many of the genres of music I listen to. On Earth, my skill is only a bit higher than the average band student."

Kirche's expression was so hilarious that he had to cover his mouth to keep himself from laughing, before his mood suddenly fell, and he frowned, his tone much more serious as he spoke.

"Hey, why did you call on the favor now?" he asked her, and she blinked, before sighing, crossing her arms, her expression turning grim.

"So you noticed." she said, and he nodded.

"I get that you'd want to call it at some point, but it's too strange of timing to not be suspicious. It's about Tabitha, isn't it?"

She hesitated for a few seconds, before nodding. "Yeah, I was hoping to use this as a distraction for both of us, but I guess the cat's out of the bag now...So, let's talk."


	51. Charlotte's Mother

A woman, her face gaunt and as thin as the rest of her body, sat in a small rocking chair, the single piece of furniture in the room other than a small wooden table nearby, covered in cold, dusty plates of untouched food that had piled up over time, staring out the floor-length windows with a blank, listless expression. She was a mess, her clothes dirty from days if not weeks of not moving from the one spot, and her hair had become greasy and tangled, strands falling off her head onto the small doll she clutched in one bony hand.

She didn't care about the emptiness of the room, and she didn't care about how she was severely underweight and practically starved to death. She wasn't exactly the picture of health anyway, anyone would know it if they looked into her eyes.

The Duchess de Orleans was already dead, but her body refused to admit it. It clung to life even when she didn't care enough to go on living. Her life didn't matter, she'd waste away for all she cared.

All that mattered was the little doll in her hand. Little Charlotte, she told herself. She had to protect Charlotte. They'd tary to take her again if she didn't, she knew. She couldn't let her have the same fate as her brother or Charles.

Charles. She couldn't remember his face. She couldn't remember much of anything, the poison had wiped most of her memory clean. She remembered nothing before that party, except for Charlotte.

Charlotte was her precious daughter, how could she ever forget her? Her hand gripped tighter to the fabric of the doll's clothing. Protect Charlotte. That's what she'd do until the day came that her body caught up to the emptiness in her head.

Her dedication to the doll was stronger than anything she had ever felt before the poison. She knew that even without being able to remember anything. She needed to show Charlotte that she was still there, that her sweet mother was still there for her. She hadn't left just because she took a little poison…

The door crashed open, the hinges breaking as the solid wood was blasted inwards, landing with a loud thud on the floor, cracking the stone tiling under its weight.

The duchess didn't care about the door, sparing it only a glance before going back to staring at the window. She didn't care about the blue-haired meganeko standing at the doorway, her staff raised and the circular tip facing where the door had been. She didn't care about anything. She only cared about Charlotte.

"Hello...mother." Tabitha said as she walked in, her staff still raised, now pointed at the woman, who ignored her until she got within twenty feet, at which point she whirled around in her seat, gritting her teeth as she stared at her daughter with hatred in her eyes.

"Who are you?! Just leave, you're not getting Charlotte! You won't get her, I'll protect her!" A seam broke on the doll as she gripped it so hard that the thread couldn't handle it, and cotton stuffing fell from the opening. The woman stared at the wound in horror, holding the doll up to her eyes. "Charlotte! What-You're hurt! What did that girl do to you?! I'll protect you from her, don't worry! Mommy's here!"

Tabitha grit her teeth, her expression dark. Her anger was tangible in the shaking of her staff, and it was all she could do not to blast the woman who she called her mother with an ice spell. It would be so quick, it would finally end the misery the deranged woman had caused on herself and her daughter.

She didn't know why she hesitated. "It's all your fault." she accused. "Everything. If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't be doing so many stupidly dangerous missions, and dad would still be alive. It's all your fault for taking the stupid poison."

The duchess continued screaming at the doll, the cotton spilling out far more important to her than the weapon being pointed at her by a mage far more skilled than she was. She had once been a mage as well, but now, she wouldn't be able to lift a wand, much less cast an enchantment.

As she continued screaming, Tabitha's rage only grew. This was part of the reason why she'd taken on the doll's name, to detach herself from the "Charlotte" this woman so desperately tried to protect. To share a name with the thing this woman had invented in her insanity was something she couldn't stand.

"I can kill you so easily right now. You wouldn't stand a chance against me. I can end it right here, and finally get rid of you. You aren't my mother, you're just a ghost living in her skin. There would be no shame in returning a ghost to the dead."

Even still, she made no move to actually cast anything, rather simply standing, pointing the staff in a ready position. She had made up her mind to do it, but still, she found herself unable to say the necessary words.

She blinked in surprise as she heard a yawn from behind her, and her head twisted to look before her at the broken doorway.

"What's all this then? It's 1 pm, people are trying to sleep…" said the exhausted voice of Isabella de Martel, leaning on the damaged hinges and looking in, one hand loosely holding onto her wand. "Finally turning traitor, huh, Tabitha? Gonna kill the duchess? Cool."

If she wasn't so exhausted, her reaction may have been different, but she had been up past 3 am doing whatever it is Isabella does at night. Tabitha didn't want to know. Point was, she was too tired to particularly care what was going on. She'd just come to see what all the commotion was about.

"Isabella, I thought you were in Tristain." Tabitha said, and Isabella nodded slowly, blinking away sleep.

"Yeah, I was...Came back a couple days ago because I got bored. Also because there was this whole thing with a corrupt tax collector, and I don't like that kind of crap going on around me." She grinned sleepily, laughing in a slightly creepy manner. "Met a guy who reminded me of Joseph though…" Her habit of calling her father by his name didn't leave even if she was tired.

Tabitha nodded, her staff lowering slightly. Her rage was just as strong as before, but her odd cousin was helping her to close it away in the back of her mind.

Isabella had that kind of effect on people. While she was by no means a pleasant person to be around, she still had a knack of helping people ignore their problems...provided their problems weren't caused by her in the first place. Josette wasn't the only person she'd taken everything from with a single bet.

"David." she said, to which her cousin nodded, recognizing the name. "He's Louise's familiar."

"Oh, that Zero you're always talking about in letters home? I figured she was a void mage, Joseph has the same rock bottom skill with elemental spells. Just wait, with proper training that girl will be a force to reckon with, I can bet on it."

"You sound pretty confident considering you've never met her." Tabitha said, and the royal heiress's face lit up in her familiar grin as her tiredness began to leave her.

"No, but I've met David. A familiar is only as strong as its master, and I see a lot of potential in him. And I think we both know how good I am at reading people."

Tabitha sighed. "Much better than I am. So are you going to try to stop me? I'm going to kill her if you don't."

Isabella shrugged. "You do your thing, I have no attachment to that woman. I just wanted to see what all the noise in here was about."


	52. Kirche's Concern

"How exactly do you feel about Tabitha?" Kirche asked, and David sighed, shaking his head.

"I don't really know as much about her as I acted like I did on the carriage ride." he replied. It was true, even throughout the whole series, she had remained shy and secretive. It was hard to glean information on her, especially since back then he hadn't known he'd be watching his own future. "But I see her as a good friend, someone I can trust." He chuckled. "She helps me write at least, I'm god-awful at writing Tristainian."

When he got back to Earth, he decided to learn French better, even though he didn't plan to come back here. Ever.

Kirche smiled, sighing as she idly rubbed the fingers of her other hand on her new ring. "Tabitha is a good person, even though she's always so quiet. We've been best friends since we met at the opening ceremony when we started first year at the Academy."

David blinked. "Wait, you've only known each other for a year or so?!" he asked, surprised. "I thought you were childhood friends!"

Kirche laughed, waving her hand. "No, no, I was living in Germania until then, and if she really is Charlotte de Orleans, it makes sense why she wouldn't have gone to Germania for really any reason. We're somewhat recent friends compared to some other groups at the Academy, but that doesn't mean we can't still be considered best friends!"

David smiled at her enthusiasm. It was nice seeing Kirche being so excitable about something other than men. It made her seem much more innocent than she really was.

"How did you two meet, then? I mean, naturally I don't know what happened at the opening ceremony, since I wasn't in this world then."

"Oh, right, I keep forgetting you're from some other world…" Kirche said. "I dunno, we met in basically the same way any friends meet, not much to talk about really." She tapped her chin. "I remember Josette came too, but she didn't join the academy...I wonder what happened to her, I haven't seen her mentioned much…"

"I heard she got her nobility annulled." David said, and Kirche blinked, staring openmouthed at him.

"Annulled...not even stripped?" she asked, her pace slowing down in surprise. "Too have it annulled...What did she do?"

"I honestly don't know, I just heard it from a Gallian while Louise and I were out in town." he said. "Probably best not to mention it though." Was Josette related to Tabitha? She seemed to be, but the thought of someone being related to Tabitha was odd. The only thing he could think of to picture the mysterious Josette was the blue hair, since apparently every Gallian royal had that color.

It made him question Isabella's origins even more, but then again, why would a member of the Gallian royal family be a regular customer at a vague Tristainian inn?

Kirche nodded. "But anyway, moving from Josette...We need to talk about what happened with Tabitha just now."

David sighed, nodding, and Derf poked out from his sheath.

"In all of my 6,000 years, I have never once seen a Gallian royal shout, and Tabitha is one of the quietest I've known. For her to be screaming like that...Her mother is certainly a sore subject."

"But she didn't yell like that when I mentioned her in the carriage." David pointed out, looking at the sword. "Wouldn't she have burst then too?"

Kirche grinned knowingly. "I bet I know why she didn't react when you said it." she said, and he blinked, tilting his head questioningly. She shrugged her shoulders and laughed. "Because she's interested in you, obviously."

"...Hearing that said by you sounds a lot less sincere." David said, after hesitating, and Kirche frowned.

"Hey, I may be promiscuous, but I can still see when a girl likes someone!" she defended, before laughing again. "Well, it's not necessarily that she has a crush on you, but you're a curiosity to her. You're someone she can't figure out, and those people can be counted on one hand."

He blinked. "I'm not that hard to see through, I'm sure Tabitha knows more about me than she lets on." he said, and Kirche nodded, crossing her arms.

"I wish I knew more about you, but while I'm still vying for you, I won't get in the way of your little affair with Louise and the princess and whoever else you're chasing after." She laughed. "Soon you'll have a bigger harem than mine!"

David laughed. "No, I'm not trying for any sort of romance, I've never really-" He stopped as what she'd said clicked in his brain. "Wait...What about Henrietta?!"

She had to stop walking as she clutched her stomach to contain her laughter. "You're really bad at your poker face, you know that?" she asked. "I didn't know she had anything to do with it, but now I know for sure!" she exclaimed.

"..." Why was it that every semi-major character shipped him with Henrietta? Was he really that bad at covering his tracks that even _Kirche_ noticed?

She grinned as she stood back up. "Well, I don't really care about you and the princess, but I do ask that you help Tabitha too, okay?" she requested. "I'm at a complete loss with how to help her now, but maybe you can do something about it. You have a knack for calming people down after all...Maybe you could play a song or something."

He sighed. "I would really rather keep my guitar away from her until she calms down, I don't know how to fix it if it breaks, and it's important to me." He smiled. "But I'll think of something, I always do, don't I?"

Kirche grinned. "Don't freeze up like you did with Fouquet, okay?" she said, and he nodded.

"That was then. This is now. I won't do that again." Hopefully it would be easier for him how anyway. Tabitha was his friend and he was now more grounded in this world, talking directly to her would be much easier than trying to fight the thieving fallen noble.

He wondered where Matilda and Tifa were now. Hopefully they'd escaped Albion safely.


	53. The Ghost of the Mansion

After they returned to the castle, the butler from before bowed to them, and David stepped forward, determination written on his face. Now that Kirche wasn't dragging him away from the situation, he was going to do everything he could to bring Tabitha back to normal...And from the crashes coming from deeper within the mansion, he doubted she'd calmed down on her own.

"I'm going to talk to her." he said, and the butler nodded, looking at Kirche, who shook her head.

"This is something I can't help with, we decided that he'd do it." she said, and the man nodded, glancing at David.

"It may be best to use magic as a defense." he said. "Lady Charlotte is a Triangle-class mage, it could be dangerous. What level is your magic at?"

David blinked. "Leve-" He felt a hand on his shoulder as Kirche pulled him back, setting her lips to his ear and whispering to him.

"Ssh. We never said your rank. To him, you're a noble." He felt something thin poke his hand. "Take my wand and act cool."

He glanced at the butler, who stared curiously at them, and his hand closed around the wood, slipping it into his pocket. "I can't use it." he whispered, and she nodded.

"I know, but take it just in case. She might hesitate to attack if she sees you armed. She already suspects you, she might think you have hidden magic too."

She let him go, and he came back to the butler. "Sorry about that. I'm not exactly Triangle-class, but I've got decent skill in Wind magic."

The butler nodded. "I wish I could help you, but this is out of my league...and it seems to have been my fault. I do hope you can calm her on your own. Do you need help navigating the castle?"

David shook his head, holding the handle of the wand in his pocket, the strange feeling of the wood oddly comforting even though in his hands it was totally useless. "I'll just follow the crashing sounds, right?" He chuckled at the thought, before frowning as he remembered that such sounds were not normal for the quiet mage. "Well...I'm going to go now."

The butler nodded, stepping aside to let him in through the door going to the interior of the castle, and he stepped through, heading down the wood aisle toward the sounds.

What was Tabitha doing exactly? An image flashed in his mind of the girl running down a hall blasting everything in sight, and while it was quite the funny picture, he doubted she actually was doing so. Then again, an angry Tabitha was something he had no background for. Even in the final fight with Joseph in Season 4, she had not reacted as she did now.

It took several minutes of aimlessly walking for him to realize something else. He had no freaking idea where he was going. Why had he acted so confident to the butler? He should have just asked him to show him the way or something!

Looking back, the hallway behind him was equally unfamiliar to ahead, and he quickly realized he was lost. This was a legitimate castle after all, not just a mansion. There were redundant hallways and dead-end passages everywhere to ward off invaders in the case of an attack, and he'd fallen to the trap without realizing it. His only hope now was that he'd quickly find Tabitha and convince her to get him out.

Luckily, it didn't take long before he saw a flash of bright blue, and he turned as she ran past, so quickly that he had barely registered her presence before she vanished behind a corner.

"Tabitha!" he called, running towards where he'd seen her, but as he turned the corner, he saw no one in the hallway.

He continued running down it, shouting the mage's name, but stopped as he realized something.

The crashes weren't coming from near here. They were deeper in, roughly to his left and apparently on the floor above him. How could he get there?!

"Don't stop running." came a quiet voice, echoing through the hall, and he whirled around, instinctively drawing Kirche's wand from his pocket and pointing it in front of him.

No one was there. The hall was empty, and there was no sign of the voice's source.

"There is a stairway nearby." came the voice again, again coming from behind him, but turning around did nothing to tell him where it came from. The voice was feminine, and it sounded similar to Tabitha's, but the tone was all wrong. This voice wasn't angry, but it wasn't calm either. It sounded...nervous, as if it wasn't supposed to be there. "Keep running. I will guide you."

"Who are you?" he called, and the voice hesitated, before he caught the blue again, disappearing into a doorway. He ran towards it, opening the door and looking inside.

A stairway, just as it said. The source was missing again, but now he had access to the floor above, and he ran up it, opening the door at the top and looking through it.

The voice continued giving him instructions as he ran, always speaking with the same flat tone, and always from a different direction. Sometimes he saw the blue flash, but others it was only the voice as it brought him deeper and deeper into the castle.

Another hallway, and from his position he could see that several doors had apparently been blown in. The crashes were louder now, and he could hear someone shouting. He was going in the right direction now.

As he made to walk, the flash of blue appeared again, but this time, he didn't follow. Instead, he started running down the hall toward the shouts.

"Stop!" the voice yelled, right in his ear, and in his surprise he obeyed, planting his feet on the ground and whirling around, covering his ear.

"I'm going to help her!" he shouted back.

"The wand. Put it away. She is not in her right mind. If she sees a weapon, she will retaliate. It is her training as a Chevalier."

He blinked, looking at the hand still gripping Kirche's wand. The voice was right, and the Sleipnir Ball episode went through his head. Kirche was wrong, a wand was not safe to wield near her. She was quiet, but Tabitha was still a vicious killer when she wanted to be. He with his lack of magic wouldn't stand a chance if she attacked him, and from the sounds of her screams, she was so far gone that he'd be lucky if she listened to him at all.

What had caused this? Why was she so angry? What could have possibly set her off like this? The question ran through his mind as he pocketed the wand. He couldn't fathom what had caused such a reaction as he ran towards the shouts.

He stopped as the screaming became as close as he could get, coming from within a room whose door lay in ruins. Now, it was clear what she was yelling, and from the sound, he could tell she was blasting spells inside the room, every time a sentence ended.

"Why can't I kill you?!" A crack. "Why won't you even flinch?!" An explosion. "You're dead already, let me finish you!" Something liquid splashing. "All you do is hold that stupid doll and stare at me!"

His eyes widened, and he heard the voice again, though now, it was sourceless, as if it was talking directly to his brain, and he didn't even bother looking for its owner.

"She's trying to kill our mother." it stated. "Stop her."

"She's-" He stopped as he realized a detail in what she'd said. "Wait, 'our'?! What do you mean? Who are you?"

The voice didn't answer, and he shook his head. It didn't matter. He thanked the voice for helping him navigate to here, before closing his eyes, inhaling and exhaling deeply before stepping forward to reveal himself to the room.

His eyes widened at the sight. What once was tile had been uprooted, torn apart by earth magic and buried under a blanket of what seemed to be fine snow, bringing the room temperature down to chilly temperatures, but the air was tolerable thanks to the warm air coming from the vents where the windows used to be, the wood frames and glass panes lying shattered all over the ground.

There were only two places where the room had not completely been torn to shreds. At once spot stood Tabitha, glaring at the second person, sitting in an old chair in the only other untouched place.

He recognized the gaunt woman immediately. The Duchess de Orleans, and Tabitha's mother...and apparently, also the mother of that voice.

"Tabitha!" he called, and her blue eyes, the pupils dilated and irides practically glowing in hatred, snapped to him, and he found himself staring her down, his hand in the pocket where Kirche's wand sat, while her staff was still firmly planted facing her mother.

"...David." she replied through gritted teeth. "You shouldn't have come here yet."


	54. Calming the Snowstorm

**I have gotten requests for more songs recently, so I'll explain why there haven't been as many since the Exhibition! As David is a guitarist, it's quite hard to find fitting songs that primarily have guitar, as much of the music I listen to is drum-based. If anyone has suggestions, please send them to me (bear in mind FF doesn't like links very much)!**

 **Hey, if someone actually wrote a song for the story, I'd love that too!**

* * *

"Tabitha…" David had hoped that she'd have at least calmed down enough to talk to sensibly by the time he found her, but now that she stood in front of him, he knew this would be more difficult than he hoped. "What happened? Why are you so angry?"

He'd only made it this far by bullcrapping his way through situations he didn't know from the canon, and usually, it was simple enough to just power through, but right now, he was drawing a blank. An angry Tabitha was something he hadn't expected and hadn't known could even happen, but this...He never dreamed that she'd be trying to murder her own mother, even if she seemed to somehow be consistently failing in her attempt despite the woman's lack of a reaction.

He wished the voice from before would guide him like she did getting him here, but he knew she was gone now. Whoever had been the source had run out of energy, or turned tail and ran, letting him handle the situation for her...Who was that? She sounded familiar, but he couldn't understand why...Was there a ghost in the castle that he'd forgotten from the anime? Wasn't Tabitha afraid of ghosts?

Why did he recognize any of their voices at all? They spoke differently from those in either the dub or the sub, since these people spoke in a completely different language, and yet he could recognize them all simply by sound...There were things even now that he couldn't fathom in the slightest about the circumstances surrounding him being here.

She stared at him, her blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. "This woman has been a thorn in my life for years. I'm sick of seeing her, and you have to admit that she has no function being alive anymore. She's nothing but a shell now, killing her will only be doing all of us a favor. And don't use her status as the Duchess de Orleans as an excuse, she hasn't done any ruling in so long, she probably doesn't even remember how to write. All she knows is holding that doll!"

The boy's mind whirled as he tried to think of a solution that wouldn't end in someone being on the receiving end of her magic. "Tabitha, isn't that doll supposed to represent you? Isn't that doll the original Tabitha? Your mother is clinging to the last thing she recognizes of you...I know what happened to her, she took that poison for you-"

"She did not take that for me!" the girl shouted, and he shrank back a step at her tone. "I don't know what focuses your prediction, but it's wrong! That was water magic, it didn't HAVE to be ingested! She didn't take anything for me, it was a simple accident and nothing more!"

David stared at her, openmouthed in surprise. "Wait, what…" he asked, and she nodded.

"True, she took the poison meant for me, but it wasn't an intentional action! She simply took the wrong cup! These years of misery were all because she did something stupid, she didn't do it because she cared about me!"

 _What...How could…_ This was all wrong. The anime had clearly shown what happened, and didn't the light novel also explain it as an intentional act? Sure, it was a stupid thing to have happened, but it couldn't have been a mistake…

But it could. He couldn't deny that things now were different, even years beyond his arrival. Fouquet had already talked to Wardes. Henri was alive. Isabella mentioned Josette, a relative of Tabitha's he didn't know even existed. And now, she was saying that the circumstances of the insanity incident were different.

No, he couldn't let his doubts get in the way. By now, the anime was no better than a guideline. It was spot-on on major events, but details were fuzzy and unreliable. Since it wasn't a good enough source, he'd have to find his own way through things...and he had to remember that this was reality for him now. He wasn't behind a screen, watching the events play out, he was right there in the middle of them.

His left hand balled into a fist as he thought over the possibilities of how this could play out, choosing what seemed to be the best way for everyone to be safe…

"Why does she keep the doll?" he asked. He knew already why, but she didn't know he knew, and there was a possibility that that detail had also changed.

The girl's staff trembled in her hand, and David could swear her eyes seemed wetter than before. "She believes it's me. She's been keeping it since then, she's refused to even move from that spot."

He nodded. Good, that was the same, this made it a whole lot easier…"If she believes it's you...then that means that you're the only thing keeping her together, doesn't it? It means she's trying to protect you, even in her madness."

Tabitha stared at him. "If she wanted to protect me, then she'd do it properly, not talk to a stupid doll!" she shouted, and without warning, a bolt of ice materialized over her staff, firing at the woman...but it missed, smashing into the already-broken ground.

"She probably doesn't recognize you. You were so young then, you've changed a lot. You've grown up and she's stayed behind, that doll is the only thing that hasn't changed, isn't it? Insanity is a dangerous thing, it can detach you from reality...but she's stayed tied to it by forcing herself to project the person she cares about most onto the most stable part of her life."

"...She doesn't care, she's just trying to run from her own suffering." she said, though her hand lowered, the staff pointing toward the ground as she turned to face him, stepping forward as she stared at him. "Why do you care so much about saving her life? You've never met her, you know nothing about her, so why?"

"You're right, I don't know her, and her dying wouldn't affect me...But I know you, and I know that you'll regret it immediately if you kill her. You don't hate her, you hate what happened to her. She's still your mother, and you know that's true. You just hate that you don't know how to save her."

Tabitha was silent for several seconds, before speaking, her voice laced with venom. "Then if you know so much about it, why don't you tell me how to save her? Do you know who did it to her? Do you know the cure? Do you know that she'll be back to normal if she's cured?"

He knew the answer to all of those, but answering as such would only serve to make her ask unnecessary questions. "I don't know exactly what it is or who did it, but I do know that every illness has a cure...and in a world of magic, surely it exists." In the form of an elf who probably was watching him as he spoke. "She's survived this long, she can wait for us. We'll find a cure for it…" He blinked.

Wait, there was a solution that didn't even require Bidasha. It was a long shot, and he didn't know how curing the Duchess would alter the timeline, but...Right now, he cared more about saving Tabitha from herself than ensuring that things go in the proper order.

"I...I think I know where to get the cure." he said, and she stared at him.

"...You...do?" she asked, and now, her eyes were clearly watering, on the cusp of full-on tears.

He nodded, stepping forward, carefully watching her staff. The weapon remained lowered, and he took the chance to wrap his arms around her suddenly, pulling her into an embrace.

The girl froze up at the action, but calmed down, her staff dropping to the floor with a clacking sound as she lifted her arms around him, and he could feel his hoodie start to get wet as she cried.

"Lagdorian Lake." he told her. "There's a water spirit there who has the ability to cure any poisons...We can talk to her and ask her to give us her tear."

"A tear…" the girl said quietly, her voice slightly muffled by his hoodie. "...Okay. Let's talk to her."

He smiled, glad he'd found a bloodless solution. As he hugged the girl, he was aware of the Duchess staring at him, as if she understood what was going on...and in his mind, he could hear the weirdly familiar voice of the ghost of the castle that had helped him.

"Thank you for helping her…" the voice said, speaking into his head again.

"Who are you…?" he asked quietly, too quietly for Tabitha to hear...but the ghost could hear him well.

"I'll tell you soon, but not now...not until you've saved them all."


	55. Turning Right Back Around

**Song used: Counting Stars by OneRepublic**

* * *

Getting back to the main foyer was much easier than it had been finding the girl's location, and he didn't even need the ghost's guiding voice to get through, though Tabitha did sometimes take them down alternate routes that would take less time. The castle really was larger than it seemed on the outside, but but could navigate it as if there was only one hallway. It made the Gandalfr wonder, how many times had she gone down the exact same path to and from her mother's room?

As they went through the door, Kirche stood up, having been sitting at one of the couches in the room, anxiously awaiting any end to David's mission...and she smiled happily as she saw her best friend standing beside him, jumping from her seat and running to embrace the shorter girl.

David smiled as he watched the two. This was a relationship the canon barely explored, seeing it firsthand was gratifying for him as well as them. It was nice seeing Kirche as something other than a tramp as well, an event that was rare if not unheard of in the anime, and yet in the last day he'd seen more of her more agreeable side than in three months at the academy.

As the Germanian broke from Tabitha, David grinned, reaching to his pocket and pulling out her wand, holding it by the tip as he handed it to her. "I didn't end up using it." he told her, and she laughed, taking it and pocketing it, much to the surprise of the butler still standing nearby.

"Do you not need your wand?" the man asked, and Tabitha blinked in confusion.

"David is not a mage." she said, and the man stared at her. "He is a familiar."

"A-A familiar?!" the butler asked in surprise, before his eyes widened. "Wait, do you mean that this boy is-"

The blue-haired girl raised her hand to cut him off. "He is not like Sheffield, no. He does not follow his master blindly. Rather, he follows his own interests. He is more like Joseph than Sheffield."

David inadvertently cringed at the comparison. He had absolutely no desire to be associated with either of those lunatics. Of course, he couldn't express that, since Sheffield was unknown to Tristain and Joseph was depicted as the "Brainless King".

"I...I see." the man said, coughing into a gloved fist. "I'm sorry, Miss...Tabitha." he said, clearly uncomfortable with using the name, and a small smile played on the girl's face.

"You may call me Charlotte if you like." she replied. "David calmed me down, I am not going to shout like before. I should be the one apologizing to you, it was not my place to insult the Duchess."

The girl looked at Kirche. "Unfortunately, I think we're going to have to cut the break short...David gave me new information that I wish to confirm."

"...Where are we going?" Kirche asked.

Tabitha nodded. "Lagdorian Lake. Supposedly there is a water spirit there."

The butler blinked. "That lake...You've just reminded me, I was to give you a new mission from the King about that lake!" he said suddenly, and the three looked at him, Tabitha and Kirche in confusion and David in a knowing smile.

"Joseph assigned me to go there?" she asked, and the man nodded.

"The water spirit living there has been flooding nearby towns, the lake's nearly three times its normal surface area now. Your mission was to stop her...I presume you won't be fighting her now, though, if you need something from her…"

David laughed. "I'll handle that when it comes to it. Spirits don't just expand territory, she's probably looking for something, otherwise she'd just bunker down like usual, right?"

The butler nodded. "That is the most accurate prediction Joseph has given, yes." he said. "Will you accept that task along with whatever you are wishing to accomplish?"

Tabitha was silent, before nodding. "I will." She tapped the end of her staff on the ground in confirmation. "Under a condition." She turned to David. "I want to hear you play on the way there. I am calmed, but I am not in the best of moods, so I'd like to hear something cheerful. Can you do that?"

He blinked, before nodding. "Uh, yeah, I can." Strange, this was the first time anyone but Louise had directly requested he play...but as usual, he had the perfect song. "My guitar's in the carriage still, I'll start when we get there."

Tabitha nodded. "Then let's not waste time." She turned to the butler. "I apologize for leaving so soon after coming here, but this is a more urgent matter."

The man smiled softly and nodded. "I will take care of the house for you, Lady Charlotte." he said, bowing as they left the front entrance.

~~~Later, on the carriage~~~

"So, what exactly were you trying to do at the lake?" Kirche asked. "Like, is there something special about the water spirit that you want to ask her for?"

Tabitha nodded. "David's judgement is sound, and he told me that she has the ability to cure any poison." She looked down at her lap as David checked his guitar's tune. "I want to use it to heal my mother."

Kirche blinked in surprise, glancing at David. "You can actually do that?!" she asked. "But isn't it elven magic?"

David shrugged, looking away from his guitar to face her. "All I know is that it can supposedly cure all poisons. This is all based on a hunch. The worst that can happen is we solve the flooding issue and have to wait to help the Duchess." He nodded in satisfaction at the sound of his strings and adjusted to hold it in his lap, his hands setting on the frets in preparation to start. "So...cheerful song, right?" he asked, laughing. "I have the perfect one."

The two watched him closely as he began to play, and he smiled as he touched the first key, launching into a song that he'd heard hundreds of times on Earth, but here, it was simply a completely different tone than he'd set with Never Let Go during the exhibition. This one, he didn't so much play the strings as simply slapping the body, the song requiring little guitar and a lot of clapping sounds, but the hitting of the hollow wood provided a close enough approximation. They wouldn't know the difference.

"Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep, dreaming about the things that we could be. But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard, I said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars."

He was always surprised at how dead silent anyone watching went as he played, occasionally glancing at them to check their reactions.

"Oh, but I'm not that old. Young, but I'm not that bold. And I don't think the world is sold, I'm just doing what we're told. And I feel so right by doing the wrong thing, and I feel so wrong doing the right thing. I could lie, couldn't I, couldn't I? Everything that kills me makes me feel alive."

Ironic, really. He knew his planning was faulty from the beginning. He was acting too selfishly, doing things because he wanted to or because they gave him the right result. Well, this meeting with the water spirit, a quest so minor that it was probably filler, was something he was doing not for himself, but for the kuudere sitting across from him, her eyes closed and body swaying with the music. Next to her, Kirche was grinning, lightly snapping her fingers to the rhythm...a completely different reaction, but one he totally expected from her.

"Take that money, watch it burn, sing in the river, the lessons are learned. Take that money, watch it burn, sing in the river, the lessons are learned."

He took his hands from the guitar, letting it rest on his lap as he finished, grinning. He felt that Counting Stars was perfect for the situation, and it seemed that once again, he had been right as Tabitha slowly opened her eyes, a smile playing on her face.

"Thank you." she said, and he laughed.

"No problem, I always like getting a chance to play after all." he replied, and Kirche grinned.

"Man, I wish you were my familiar instead of Zero's!" she said. "Hot guy, friends with everyone, especially Tabitha, great music...You'd be the perfect pet!"

David flinched at the wording, but laughed anyway. "Louise can't keep me on a leash, I'm a free man, you wouldn't be any different!"

As soon as he said that, he suddenly cried out, his right hand flying his head as he felt a shooting pain lance in his forehead.

"David, are you okay?!" Kirche asked, jumping up from her seat and scooting in the cramped carriage to him.

He growled in pain as he held his hand to his head. "I...It's just a headache, I'm fine…" he said. It was true, it had passed quickly.

But...what was that? Did it have something to do with Louise? He glanced at his left hand, and his eyes widened as he saw the runes glowing.

 _I'm...I'm not holding Derf, what is happening…_ he thought, glancing at the sword strapped to his back.


	56. The First Gandalfr

**Last chapter before I go to my first anime convention, hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

 _What was that…?_ David thought as he watched his two companions looking worriedly at him. He looked to his sword for advice on why his hand was now glowing, but the weapon remained silent, firmly fixed to its sheath...Either it truly didn't know, or it didn't want to say. He didn't know which was more worrisome. The sword had an unusual sense of humor, but it did have its share of decent advice. He doubted he'd have gone this long under the radar without its help. Having it ignoring him at a time like this was dangerous.

The ride went in silence, and despite it taking far less time than he thought it would, the dead quiet made it seem to stretch to eternity as he watched the runes softly pulsating, the light going off and on every so often like a strobe light. It didn't hurt, nor did he feel the adrenaline rush that came with it when he wielded it in battle. It was just...there. He couldn't figure out why it was doing that, but otherwise, there wasn't anything to worry about.

But why had they come to life, and what was that sudden pain? He knew that Kirche and Tabitha suspected the same thing he did. Neither of them were idiots, they no doubt shared his assumption.

The runes had reacted to his statement. Somehow, his stating that Louise didn't control him must have triggered the response. But why now? This was by no means the first time he'd said or done something against Louise's wishes, and he was totally fine when he'd told the pinkette about his plans to go back to Earth as soon as he could, which meant abandoning her as well, and they hadn't responded when he chose to go with Tabitha on this vacation.

He wondered what Louise was doing now. He had not stayed behind after all, so he had not built the hot tub that Saito had, and he had not met with Siesta, so she'd have no reason to be angry. She was probably asleep by now, it was getting late, the sun's rays only barely poking from the horizon now.

He wondered how the maid was doing too. He felt a little bad for neglecting to talk to her after the Mott incident, and she wasn't a disagreeable person. He'd even planned originally to incorporate her into New Divide, and yet since then he'd hardly seen her and hadn't said a word to her except when she occasionally brought letters from Henrietta.

He was sure the girl knew how to read Albionian, so he silently thanked her for not telling anyone that Henrietta was messaging him directly. He really should get back to her on that...hopefully he was right and she knew, otherwise he'd open up a whole new can of worms.

"We're here." Tabitha said, bringing him from his thoughts as the carriage stopped moving, and the boy looked up, turning his head to peer out of the window.

Sure enough, they had stopped at the beginning of a path snaking down towards the edge of the swollen lake, and as they got out, he could smell the salt from here.

...Wait. Salt? Lagdorian was a freshwater lake and landlocked except for one river, why did he smell salt?

"Ech." Kirche said, sticking her tongue out in disgust. "I hate the smell of salt, it's disgusting."

Tabitha looked at the tanned girl, her staff's end tapping against the ground as they started to walk down the rest of the way to the lake. "The Tristainian city of Tarbes is nearby, and I believe they run salt mines underneath the lake. That's probably what you're smelling."

David hummed in thought as he watched the lake, the group drawing closer to the water's edge. If it was like Europe, this area probably was once part of the ocean, though he didn't know how or if the Ice Age happened here.

It was a funny thought to him, but it did occur that there must have been prehistoric plants similar to Earth's, because they use oil here for various things, and there probably were dinosaurs and other similar creatures once.

"David, how exactly do you plan to draw out the spirit, and how are we supposed to kill it?" Kirche asked, cutting him from his thoughts once again, and he looked at her.

"You can't kill a spirit, and we don't want to. We'll come up with a compromise instead. Let me do the talking, Derf told me that she has a special relationship with Gandalfr." He looked to the sword, who unsheathed itself, though it still said nothing about the runes, which still flashed, but by now, David ignored them.

"Aye, many of your predecessors have visited this lake before. I don't remember how far back, but it's possible that it even went as far as-" The sword suddenly went quiet for several seconds, during which the three watched it, waiting for it to continue. "I'm going to stop there. I may not have many of my memories from the last 6,000 years, but there are a few things that I would rather become part of that majority."

David blinked. Was Derf actually...expressing sadness? He hadn't know the sword could feel such an emotion. He had a feeling it was talking about Sasha, supposedly it creator according to the five-minute glimpse he'd had at the Zero no Tsukaima wiki once, but he couldn't imagine why it would be unwilling to speak of her. He didn't know much about Sasha other than that she was Brimir's Gandalfr, he didn't even know how she died. Did it have something to do with Derf?

...Had she too visited the water spirit? Was that why Derf had gone quiet in the ride here? Maybe Sasha had gone through the same malfunctioning runes that he was now, and he'd reminded the sword of its first master...if that was the case, he felt bad for it, but he could do nothing to help the sword. He had little control over Gandalfr, after all.

It was an odd feeling, being worried about a sword, even an intelligent one like Derflinger. He sighed to himself as he stopped walking at the edge of the lake. He felt his sneakers sinking slowly into the mud, so he backed up onto solid ground as he cleared his throat.

"Umm...How do I call her?" he asked. "Like, is there something special to do, or is there a code, or…"

Tabitha sighed, while Kirche had to hold in a laugh at his lack of preparedness. The Chevalier raised her staff, waving it in a circle over her head, and the air temperature seemed to drop as ice began to form, spreading along the surface of the lake.

He watched the ice, curious as to what she was doing, before the spread suddenly stopped as if it had hit an invisible barrier, before it began to recede, and the ground started to rumble as the water became more active.

The boy stepped back several feet, not wanting to fall in as the water rose up, revealing the form of a humanoid creature, made of translucent water that seemed to shine far brighter than the lake water...The water spirit, no doubt. However...there was a difference this time, and thinking logically, it made sense WHY it was different.

First, she was human-sized, not 40 feet tall like she'd been in the anime. She stood at about 5'5", shorter than Kirche and he were but taller than Tabitha, and she didn't take on the form of a nude Montmorency...a fact that he welcomed, he didn't want to see that firsthand.

The form she took was far different than Montmorency. The spirit's body was lithe and catlike, and her limbs were thin, though not overly skinny and about normal length for her body size. Her chest was similar to Kelly's, unlike the flat Montmorency, but none of what made up her body surprised him.

Rather, it was her head. Rounded, with a small chin and oddly droopy eyes, glowing white with the spirit's power, and her ears…

They were pointed. And not just small points, they were full-on elven triangles, jutting out from the sides of her head through tufts of short watery hair.

How he could see all this detail in the blobby body of the spirit, which reminded him of a slime (Erubetie much?), he had no idea. Perhaps he was putting personality where there was none.

Nevertheless, the spirit seemed not to care how he saw her as she stared directly at him with those detailless white eyes.

"Gandalfr." she said, her voice echoing as if it spoke directly to his brain, but from the stiffening in the backs of his companions, he knew they had heard her too. "You have returned."


	57. Gandalfr's Power

**I'm back from my convention! It was great, but now I'm all settled down at home again, so back to writing!**

* * *

"Have you been here before, David?" Kirche asked, surprised by the spirit's choice of greeting. The deity seemed wholly uninterested in his two companions, not even sparing them a glance as it stared at the boy.

"I have not seen the runes travel to such a young child before." the spirit said, answering her question for him. "Not since Sasha herself, at least. I sense little control of your power. Am I wrong?"

David was surprised at the spirit's speaking style. She acted more...personal than she had in the anime, as if she also sensed his conflicting knowledge of events. The scope of the being's abilities was almost entirely unknown, and there were few good records of her in the academy's library...and after asking Henrietta to check, it seemed that there was just as little in the royal stores as well. It was strange how so little, even myths and legends, existed surrounding this being floating in front of him...but he didn't think it was intentional. It simply had no reason to be studied before now as it did nothing to harm or help anyone.

He sighed at the question the spirit had asked, nodding slowly. "I don't fully understand the runes, but I'm learning to fight without their help." He raised his left hand to look at the flashing symbols, shaking his head as he sighed again. "But there's a lot I don't know, and I don't have the chance to study them when I'm not wielding Derf against an enemy."

The spirit was silent for several seconds, before it seemed to tilt its head, a miniature shower of water dripping from the movement. "You believe that Gandalfr is intended for fighting?" it asked, and he blinked.

"What do you mean? It only activated when I'm-"

The spirit raised a hand to cut him off. "Your predecessor, who was quite the womanizer, wielded that power to manipulate the minds of women he fancied. His predecessor, a former king of Tristain, used it to prevent a famine in the capital. Sasha, the first to wield its power, used it to create a sword imbued with the power of the elves and the void. It has many uses outside of simple fighting. You have much to learn if you believe that Brimir's runes have only one purpose. They are a gift given to very few, and Gandalfr is particularly rare. Do not treat your gift as a mere weapon. It is a tool, an instrument that can either make or break a civilization if used correctly."

The boy stepped back at the force of the water spirit's words. Though her tone was flat as ever, he could clearly feel the anger behind her words. He didn't know specifically what her connection to Brimir and Gandalfr was, but he'd clearly pissed her off somehow.

He had to salvage this somehow, otherwise he'd fail both to get the tear and to stop the flooding this being was causing. Luckily, Derf came to the rescue as it popped from its sheath on his back.

"It has been a long time, spirit." the intelligent sword said, and the being's attention shifted to the sword.

"It has, Derflinger. You have not come since you were wielded by Gunther Bloodborne." it said.

"He was killed by one of those women you mentioned, and I was left rusting for a few centuries. You can see my current condition is not at its peak." Derf replied, and Tabitha spoke up.

"Do you mean that there has not been a new Gandalfr in that long?" she asked, and the spirit nodded, answering for the weapon.

"The Void Sword Derflinger has always been tied to Gandalfr. If it is not awakened, then the familiar will be killed by the runes' power. It is why so few have gained its power."

"Void sword? What does that mean?" Kirche asked.

"I'll answer that one." Derf said. "I don't remember much about how I was created or what came afterward, but I am what you'd call...physical magic. That is, my body is comprised of solid void magic. I assume it was taken from Brimir's reserves."

"Brimir...Does that make you actually some super-awesome enchanted weapon that can fire spells and stuff?!"

The sword laughed. "I'm not a wand sword, no. Void works differently than the other four elements. It can't be channeled easily, and with a quantity as compacted as it is in me, it is nearly impossible. It doesn't help that Louise's mana reserves are far greater than usual, so it screws with Gandalfr's powers."

"...Is that why my runes are flashing?" David asked, and the sword went silent again.

"Show them to me." the spirit said, and he blinked, holding his hand up with the palm facing her, and it narrowed its white eyes to study them. "I see...You claimed not to be controlled by your master, didn't you?"

He opened his mouth in surprise. "I did, earlier on the trip here, but-"

"This is a reaction that would happen to any disobedient familiar. However, you have very a strong will and a resistance to magic that is not normally seen, and so it has taken quite a while for the runes to take root. It is no oddity that you cannot control your power effectively, when you put up such a barrier to it."

"...You mean, I have to give up to use it?!" he asked in surprise, and it nodded.

"Essentially, yes. The power of Gandalfr has diluted over the millennia, and so those who do gain it must work harder than those before to master it. It is the same with the other familiars, as well as the void mages themselves."

David as about to respond when the spirit shifted, its watery body producing a swishing sound as a small currently ran through, generated by the movement. "I sense you are not here to discuss your power, however. What is it you require of me?"

David blinked at the sudden change of conversation. "Umm…" He rubbed the back of his head. "How did you know we were going to ask you for something?"

"I have lived for over 6,000 years." Again with the 6,000. Why was it always that number? Even a deity was tied to it? "Even had I not been able to read you through the runes, I would still know your motivation. For what other reason would a mortal speak to a god?"

Was that...sarcasm? The water spirit was stranger and stranger the more he talked to it.

"Actually, we are also here to request that you stop flooding the surrounding area." Tabitha spoke up. "And also to ask that you provide us with a tear, in order to cure my mother of a poison she ingested a long time ago."

Cutting right to the chase, why hadn't he expected that from her? He shook his head and sighed as he looked over the spirit's face to gauge its reaction.

Its expression didn't change, but then again, it had no mouth to show any sort of frown. It simply remained stoic as it looked at her.

"I see. Unfortunately, I can accept neither request." the spirit replied, with little hesitation.


	58. The Bonds of Gandalfr

**Decided to take a bit of time to explain pronunciations of runes due to this chapter having some technical terms! They are arranged as follows:**

 **Norse Name - Romanized Name - Runic Symbols - Runic Spelling - Pronunciation**

 **Gandalfr - Gandalfr -** ᚷᚢᚾᛞᛟᛚᚠ **\- Gundolf - Gun-doll-fur**

 **Vindalfr - Vindalfr -** ᚹᛁᚾᛞᚫᛚᚠᚱ **\- Windalfr - Veen-doll-fur**

 **Lífþrasir - Lifsrasir -** ᛚᛁᚠᛞᚱᚫᛒᛁᚱ **\- Lifdrasir - Leaf-srass-ear**

 **Mjöðvitnir - Miothvitnir -** ᛗᛁᛟᛞᚫᛁᛏᚾᛁᚱ **\- Miodaitnir - Mee-oath-veet-near**

 **Thank you for your time, I just thought it was important to mention these! I apologize, mobile users who don't have Norse Unicode! The rune for the s in 'Lifdrasir' is slightly wrong too, I couldn't find the proper symbol for one of the shapes so I estimated!**

* * *

An expected answer, and Tabitha's way of asking would all but guarantee an instant rejection. She may be a little more open now, but she still had much to learn about how to talk to people. David sighed and looked at her. "Let he handle it, this isn't the first time I've had to convince someone to do something." Back on Earth, he'd numerous times had to intervene to stop a fight among the band club...who as typical of the club were a rowdy group.

He sighed. How were they doing now? Had they found a new guitarist by now to replace him? He'd been only one of five guitarists there, did they even know he was gone? They could have assumed that he'd simply moved away, and he had no way to contact them and tell them he had not willingly left.

He had a few of their phone numbers, including Karen Haase, the club faculty advisor, but having a number is pointless when you don't have a connection, especially when you're at best half a universe away and at worse several alternate planes apart. Then again, it wouldn't matter even if he could connect since his phone had long since died, and with no way to charge it, he'd given up on it and simply left it in the pack of survival tools he still kept. He hadn't even seen the pack in a while, having forgotten it existed after cramming it into the corner of Louise's room. Maybe it would be a good idea to get that when and if Henrietta gave them the mission to go to Londinium.

He coughed to clear his throat as he faced the spirit. "This is something we need to do." he said. "It'll benefit not just the de Orleans family, but the continent as a whole for you to retract the flooding you're causing. I understand that you'd see no reason to do this, but...maybe we can help you too. Is there a reason you're flooding everything?"

The spirit's eyes narrowed at him. "Are the spirits of your world so easily swayed by mortal words?" it asked, and he blinked, sweatdropping at the question.

"Umm...typically, they're fine with a 'Scratch my back, and I scratch yours' situation, yes." he replied. "I guess that is a bit of a long shot, isn't it…"

The trio were sprayed with a light shower of water as the spirit shook its head. "That is satisfactory." it replied. "I am unable to leave the lake, and so I have been slowly advancing the waterline in order to cover the continent and give me free reign to search for an item that's been stolen from me."

Tabitha blinked. "Of course, because you are made of water you cannot leave." she observed, before blinking. "Who would dare steal from a deity?"

The spirit shook its head again, spraying more water in all directions. "I am not made of water, despite my appearance. I once had a physical form, but due to varying circumstances, I have been given this current appearance. Do not meddle in how I exist, I prefer to be left alone. As for who has stolen from me...I do not know who did it. They used powerful air magic to invade the center of the lake and rob me of my treasure while I was sleeping...It was quite the powerful mage to have succeeded in that endeavor."

"What did they steal? We can find it!" Kirche said, and the spirit blinked, turning to David.

"My treasure is an item known as the Ring of Andvari. I believe that you know of it already, Gandalfr. Your mind is cloudy and difficult for me to read, but I can see that you have thoroughly researched this world."

David blinked at the revelation. Did the spirit...know about his pseudo-clairvoyance? He glanced at the other two, who stared questioningly at him, and he turned back to the spirit.

"Well...I know a little about it." he admitted. He smiled at the deity, nodding. "I'll find it and bring it to you some day. It might not be me specifically, but a Gandalfr will return it."

The spirit nodded. "I see that you know how to twist a spoken promise." it said, and he flinched, but it shook its head to confirm that it wasn't angry. "I understand that my sense of time is far different from yours. It is a foolish assumption to think that one man could return such a small item from an entire world." The ground started to rumble, and the lake's edge visibly started to shrink away, slowly creeping down the slope of the lakebed, even sucking away the excess water in the soil as the spirit backed away, forced back with the receding waterline. "Gandalfr always keeps his promise, however, and so I will entrust my treasure to you." it said as it began to sink back into the water.

"Wait." Tabitha said. "What about the tear?"

The spirit stopped as David sighed, but it didn't seem to be annoyed as it reappeared over the surface of the water.

"Of course. I sense a great turmoil in you over such an item. You don't know if you truly want to possess something so invaluable to your mother, don't you?" it asked. "To request a god's help is to bind yourself to me. It can't be reversed once I have given you a piece of me."

Tabitha stared, her expression unreadable, before she stepped forward, surprising David as she wrapped her arm around his. "I am following Gandalfr, is that not reason enough to trust you?" she asked.

David blinked as he looked at her, his surprise rivalling Kirche's, but the spirit simply nodded.

"Interesting, a member of the Mjöðvitnir line of Brimiric mages supporting the Gandalfr. Times certainly have changed." it said. "Very well, I will accept your request in the hopes that you provide aid to this man whenever necessary."

Derf laughed. "Back when Sasha wielded me, she hated the Mjöðvitnir of the time...can't remember his name though." he interrupted, though he was promptly ignored by everyone.

Tabitha nodded. "I'm curious about him, and being close to him is the best way to observe him." she replied. "But...Mjöðvitnir…I know that term. What does it mean?"

"It's one of the four Brimiric familiars." Derf replied. "Gandalfr, Vindalfr, Mjöðvitnir, and Lífþrasir. I don't really get it, but it has something to do with bloodlines."

"The royal lines of Gallia, Albion, and Tristain, and the papacy of Romalia." David said. "Like how Louise is a member of the cadet branch of the de Tristain family."

The spirit nodded. "I have met others of the other lines, but never without their master...I am surprised that you are only affected as little as you are by being separated from them."

David looked at the runes, still flashing randomly. "Louise and I...aren't very close." he said. "She gives me free reign for the most part, and I take advantage of that."

"'I am your familiar, but you are not my master'." the spirit said, and he blinked in surprise.

"That's...word for word what I told her before…" he said, and it nodded.

"It is something that Sasha once told to Brimir." the spirit explained. "You remind me of her in many ways...It seems that you have inherited her spirit as well as her runes." It looked at Derf, nodding. "Perhaps you will learn to overcome the familiar bond. After all, she did not require it to wield the sword that you now carry."

David looked at Derf, blinking as he realized that the spirit was right. Derf was more than just an intelligent sword, it was a memento of the founder of spellcasting...There was more under that rust than just metal.

"Stop staring at me like that, I'm blushing!" the weapon said, and David laughed at his clearly not-blushing partner.


	59. The Tear of the Water Spirit

**I'm now officially graduated, hooray! Here's a major plot point to celebrate, so pay attention everyone!**

* * *

"There is one last thing I wish to say." the spirit said, and David tilted his head in confusion. "I cannot see clearly into your mind, but I sense a strong desire to defend your beliefs...Should you succeed in finding my ring, I will grant you permission to wield it as you see fit. I am not interested in the affairs of this world, but I don't mind assisting the current Gandalfr in his endeavors."

David blinked in surprise. "Are you...basically making me your champion?" he asked, and another spray of moisture signalled the spirit shifting its body.

"I do not know what that expression means." it replied. "But, I suppose, yes, I am. Do as you wish with that understanding."

Kirche laughed as she listened to them talking. "You're a pretty nice person, aren't you?" she asked. "I heard that the Lagdorian Lake spirit was cold and heartless, but you're giving us all these benefits."

The spirit stared at her, and she faltered in her place at the lidless gaze. "I am cold to those I cannot trust, but I have never met a Gandalfr who was not trustworthy. The same is true of Lífþrasir...though the other two are less inclined to keep their promises."

Derf popped out, his tone knowing as he spoke. "I'm sure there's a bit of bias there, isn't there?" he asked, and sheathed himself as David was splashed with water conjured from the spirit's body.

"My loyalty is to myself alone, Derflinger. You would be wise to remember that. For a sword made of physical magic, you have grown rusted."

"Hey, not my fault! I've still got a metal exterior after all!"

Tabitha silently watched the interaction, though her eyes shifted antsily as she waited. She blinked in surprise as the spirit suddenly turned to face her, and its body seemed to glow a bright seafoam green as it spoke directly to her.

"As you have decided to follow Gandalfr, I will grant the request you gave of me and provide you a part of my body. I cannot guarantee that it will have the effect you desire, but you may try. Hold out your hands, daughter of the Mjöðvitnir line."

Tabitha blinked, before obeying the deity, holding her hands in front of her, cupping them together as the spirit's body glowed softly, almost in sync with David's runes.

The spirit shifted forward, holding its hand over hers, and the tip of its index finger seemed to come off, dropping into the girl's hands and sloshing like putty, keeping its shape as it rolled in the digits.

"I will not provide another." the water spirit said, bringing its hand back to its body. "Use that wisely, for it has powerful magic that could be dangerous if you were to lose it."

Tabitha stared at the droplet, which really did look like a teardrop as it rested in her hands, and soon, the water met more drops, falling from her face as she stared at her reflection in the small mirror of the water.

David and Kirche were silent as she cried, the water spirit nodding as it returned to the water, vanishing under the surface as the lakebed shrank away from the shore. The two other humans knew that Tabitha needed this. She needed to be able to hold the Duchess's potential saving grace in her own hands, not just as a water mage herself, but as her daughter.

David knew as he watched her tears fall that he was right. She didn't hate her mother or what she had become. She couldn't kill the woman because she knew there was a chance of curing her, and clinging to that chance meant that now it could all be over. He hoped to whatever god may actually exist that it would work, because he knew that it could ruin the girl if it failed...There were no third chances, he couldn't rely on Bidasha's appearance later. Waiting that long would only make things worse, sohe just had to pray that this would go as he wanted it to.

 _Just once._ he thought to himself. _Just once, let everything go exactly according to plan._

~~~Later~~~

It was over fifteen minutes before Tabitha was able to collect herself, the tear now swollen to nearly twice its size from the added water she'd provided it, and as David's runes finally faded for good, the tear glowed gently, like a small beacon of light in her small hands.

The ground was dry now, the lake's borders having shrunken dramatically in the time they'd stood there. It was like a dream that the spirit had been this far away from the current, still-shrinking boundary of the water, far away from them now.

Kirche held her best friend's shoulder as she cupped the tear, walking slowly as David lead the way back to the caravan, where the horse driver waited, solemnly watching them as they boarded the vehicle. The woman, one of Joseph's servants no doubt and dressed in a thick layer of robes that hid her features, seemed to know what was going on, or at least, knew that something major had hit the de Orleans heir, and didn't speak as she took the reins and the horses began moving, turning away from the lake and facing in the direction of Versailles.

The trip back was spent in silence, Kirche comforting Tabitha as she stared at the tear and David watching his now-dim runes.

 _I can't disobey Louise or that'll happen again…_ he thought, his mind drifting away from the water spirit. _And what was all that about Sasha and Derf? Inheriting her spirit, does that mean something? Though maybe it's just a red herring point again and means nothing like most of the things I know about Brimir…_ He looked at his sword, sighing and looking out the window again.

He blinked as a pigeon appeared on the horizon, flying fast toward them. He had only told Henrietta he was leaving, and specifically said not to send any messages any time he might be travelling...who had sent it? He knew it was for him, Henrietta had said that it was rare if not unheard of for someone to get a pigeon while travelling, but the reason he couldn't fathom.

He chuckled as the horses slowed down, the driver shouting at the bird as it neared. "Get out of here, I'm busy!" she shoute, in an oddly familiar voice...probably someone he'd heard randomly at Versailles.

"It's okay, I think it's for me!" David called to the driver, who went quiet, snapping the reins to make the horses speed up again...possibly trying to outrun the pigeon. The boy glanced at Kirche, who looked at him curiously, though Tabitha remained fixated on the item in her hands, keeping it from sloshing too much from the cart's movements.

"Fine, but you'd better get it out fast, I hate those birds!" the driver shouted, her voice high and whiny...was she actually...afraid of pigeons? It sounded like it, at least. Weird, he'd never met someone like that.

"Don't worry, it won't take long!" David said, laughing as he took the very small message from the bird's leg, unfurling it to read it...and his smile dropped as he read the very short message, and his eyes went wide in surprise.

" _I found your pigeon, 'New Divide'. A direct correspondent to Princess Henrietta de Tristain, and a psychic at that...I do not know what you look like, but I will be monitoring you. I hope you don't mind."_

No, no, no. Not this early. The name at the bottom only served to make his heart leap in his chest, and he read it several times to make sure he was seeing it correctly. He couldn't deny it, this was sent by the one person who was most dangerous to the plan…

Sheffield.


	60. The Obedience of Myozunitonirun

The room was dark, the only light coming from a single small candle situated on a tiny wooden table next to the seat at which a middle-aged man with the teal hair of the de Gallia family sat. He always had this aesthetic when he wasn't in public, though why he did not know. It was simply something he appreciated. The dim orange light reminded him of his own emptiness, perhaps.

"Myozunitonirun." he said calmly, and with the whisk of a small burst of wind, barely enough to flicker the candle's flame, a woman appeared before him, her dark clothing leaving only her pale white face visible in the darkness where the candlelight couldn't reach.

Sheffield sighed as she looked upon her master. She hated that name. She knew that this man, King Joseph de Gallia, knew exactly how to pronounce her Brimiric name of Mjöðvitnir. He wasn't a fool despite his popular nickname, and the word wasn't as difficult to pronounce as it appeared, but he insisted on using that stupid alternate spelling that didn't even have a runic equivalent. He could at least use the runic spelling Miodaitnir, it was literally written across her forehead after all!

Nevertheless, irritation at his naming preference aside, she followed the man with almost blind faith. He was not only her master, but the man who saved her life decades ago, when she was still living in the streets of Antiak in Sahara. He was allowed to call her whatever he felt like, and she wouldn't complain aloud. She could tolerate a little insulting like that after all, if she fell apart from what was likely a joke of his, she'd be a terrible servant, wouldn't she?

"Yes, sir?" she asked, bending so that one knee touched the ground, a hand resting flat beside the knee in a full-body bow. "I'm at your command."

Joseph chuckled as he looked at his most loyal servant. "I hear that my daughter returned home during her vacation. Did anything interesting happen?" he asked, and she blinked.

She had of course been watching as Joseph's niece went through her little crisis over her mother, and had seen the boy she'd brought find her and calm her...She had detected other wind magic too, but oddly, she was unable to track its source as it guided him.

She would have followed them after they left, but something had held her back. What it was, she didn't know...perhaps she'd simply had a moment of sympathy for Tabitha. After all, she knew the pain of losing a mother as well.

Then there was the matter of New Divide, an apparent spy for Tristain whose identity and location she did not know, and yet from the messages she'd intercepted, he seemed to know about her...A fact that worried her greatly. She certainly should mention it to Joseph.

"...No." she finally said. "It was quite boring, to be honest. She brought a few of her friends over, but they weren't particularly of interest."

Joseph hummed to himself. "I see. And how is my daughter doing?"

The two turned their heads as the door to the room opened, a clear section of the floor lighting up as harsh sunlight came in through the hallway, which had many large windows, all left open, and Isabella stood, grinning with that same mischievous expression she gave everyone.

"Ask her yourself." she said, walking into the room. "Geez, dad, you really need to let go of this darkness fetish you've got going. It's dramatic, sure, but you have to admit it's all just for the aesthetic. You'll go blind if you keep doing that."

Joseph stared forward, blinking for several moments as his eyes adjusted to the bright light, before he smiled. "I see you are as sarcastic as ever." he said, and she grinned.

"And I see you're as fun-loving as usual." she said, glancing at Sheffield. "Oh, Seinfeld's here again. Am I interrupting something?"

Sheffield's eyebrow twitched in irritation. Her master's daughter was just as insistent as he was to mispronounce her name, but Isabella barely even tried to sound similar to the correct pronunciation...and she felt none of that loyalty she gave Joseph to the girl.

"I am Sheffield, not Seinfeld." she said, standing up, her anger overriding her understanding that she had not been ordered to stand.

As usual, Joseph didn't mind the small transgression, but held his right hand up anyway, the ring containing the brown Ruby of Earth shining in the sunlight. "Be calm, Myozunitonirun." he said. "Isabella, she was simply reporting to me. We are done here."

Sheffield looked at him, and her expression softened, her anger melting under his gaze...the man could not glare, for he had no capacity for anger, but his stares were just as biting as if he shouted at her. "Master-"

"Myozunitonirun." he said, shutting her up. "We are done here. Leave so I may speak with my daughter."

She blinked, her head jerking back slightly as if she'd been punched, and she didn't speak as she teleported away, vanishing and leaving the two alone.

She appeared again in the room she usually called home, a small, simple place, with a bed and little else. She needed little to survive, and any nutritional requirements were easily met by a quick visit to the palace at Lutece, the capital city of Gallia where Joseph made his residence.

Her hand went to her forehead, her fingers running along the lines of the runes etched into the flesh, and she sighed. She had disobeyed her master, for the first time in her life. She had chosen not to mention the boy and his relation to Tabitha, or the worrisome appearance of this 'New Divide' spy, whose identity she couldn't even begin to guess.

Why had she not said anything? Was she that influenced by the touching scene of Tabitha being embraced by that boy? Her hand moved down from her forehead, trailing to her chest, where she could feel her heart being rapidly through her sternum.

Even thinking about it made her like this, her chest hurting from the pounding in her heart. What about that scene could have possibly been so powerful as to strike an emotional chord deep enough that she'd defy Joseph's question as she had.

Was she projecting herself onto Tabitha? She shared many similarities with the girl, coming from a similar background minus the royal bloodline, but for her, she had not been so lucky as to have her mother suffer a poison. The woman, whose name she no longer remembered, had simply been struck down by an angry elven noble...In Sahara, treatment between elves and humans were swapped from in Halkeginia.

Well, whatever the cause, she knew she couldn't go back and correct herself. Joseph felt no emotion, but his punishments were harsh and merciless, and her loyalty to him was still overcome by a small margin by her own will to survive. She would simply have to deal with her mistake and hope that it did not become a matter of importance.

"What is wrong with me…" she said, sighing as she sat down heavily on the thin mattress of her bed, and she covered her face with her hands, staring at the purple fabric attached to her middle fingers with gold rings. "My head hurts…"

Her eyes swam, and her vision faded in and out of focus, and she sighed weakly as she found herself lying sideways over the bedsheets. "I'm tired…" she said, and as her eyes closed, her mouth fell into a frown.

Sheffield hadn't known she was capable of dreaming any more. Ever since being brought to Joseph by the Summon Servant spell, she had never had dreams, a side effect of her runes being so close to her brain, and yet now, she found flashing images and sounds crossing her subconscious, racing so quickly that she had barely enough time to register them.

Was she sick? She didn't know, she had never experienced something like this. It was as if she'd taken one of the hallucinogenic poisons of the elves, her senses overwhelming her thoughts as the images flashed. She knew what was causing this. Her disobedience was the source, and as the pain grew in her skull, she understood that this was her penance.

The runes forced her to obey, and she was so deep into her loyalty and so totally given to the power of the runes that her suffering would be enormous for the transgression she had made. However, despite the pain beginning to take her muscles in random spasms on the bed, she didn't fight it.

She didn't want to. She had committed a crime against her master, and so her punishment must be dealt. She was too afraid of Joseph's no doubt cold and calculated response if he found out she'd failed him, and so she much preferred the simple, unthinking pain the runes brought her. That pain would fade eventually, but a scar torn by him would never leave her.


	61. David's Sonnet

"Hey, David...what's wrong?" Kirche asked, and he mentally cursed as he looked at her.

"Oh, nothing…" he said, hastily crumpling the paper and shoving it in his pocket. "Apparently Louise decided she didn't like me going with you guys and sent a...really detailed hate letter."

The lie was as clear as glass, but the tanned girl bought it, nodding as she grinned. "That girl has serious issues, doesn't she? No wonder she can't use magic, with her emotions as rampant as they are."

David grinned, trying to push the thoughts of the ominous letter out of his head. "It's emotions that fuel void magic. Once she learns to use void spells, she'll be stronger than all of you."

How had Sheffield found out about his messages to Henrietta? Was she already spying on Tristain's royal doves anyway? Why would she be doing that? Gallia had no reason to worry about the tiny kingdom at the time, what could possibly have sparked Joseph's interest?

Sheffield knowing about New Divide was worrisome enough, but the worst part was that her loyalty to Joseph meant that he'd soon find out as well, and if he knew that there was someone pulling the strings in Tristain like this, he'd no doubt take action...David's only saving grace was that the Mjöðvitnir didn't know his identity, just his pen name.

"That's so far-fetched that I almost can't believe it." Kirche said, laughing. "Zero being some sort of powerhouse? All she can do is explode things!"

"Explosions are a void trait." Tabitha said suddenly, her voice quiet as she continued staring at the tear, which jiggled like Jell-o in her hands with the bumpy movements of the carriage. "She has been using void spells without realizing it for years, we just didn't know it because we didn't suspect that any void mages still existed. David's appearance seems to have unlocked many answers to questions that we didn't even know we were asking ourselves."

The tone in her voice made it clear that she wasn't just talking about Louise. The item in her hands was another of those answers, a cure that she hadn't known existed. David wondered how much she actually was letting herself believe that the tear would actually work.

The rest of the ride was mostly filled with Kirche bantering about Louise and Tabitha remaining quiet, while David worried over the letter, only half-listening to the Germanian's words.

He had a potential solution, but if it failed, it would only make the situation worse. He would respond back to Sheffield, and he would play her game...but he'd write everything in poem form. The thought of her trying to piece together what he was saying was a hilarious mental image, and it could potentially confuse her into forgetting to report it...and even if she did, the idea of a spy writing reports in poetry format was so absurd that Joseph might simply ignore it.

As soon as they got back, David excused himself to write a return letter, citing that he had to answer Louise or else he'd be even angrier at him, and after convincing Tabitha, who could barely contain her barely-hidden excitement at finally testing the tear, to wait for a few minutes, he took the pigeon, which had stayed with them in the carriage, and attached the letter he'd written to its leg.

" _To the one called Sheffield of Gallian fame_

 _Who knows little of me but my name_

 _To Joseph, wielder of the Earthen Ring_

 _Who I know as the Brainless King_

 _I leave a message, here and now_

 _I can honestly tell you simply "Wow"_

 _You've found me out and caught my bird_

 _But tell me, what of me have you heard?_

 _Do you know my rank and runes?_

 _Do I stand under the two moons?_

 _Do I even exist at all?_

 _Am I simply in Henri's thrall?_

 _I tell you, Sheffield, do not blink_

 _Or you'll miss me, don't you think?_ "

A terrible sonnet, but it got the point across. It didn't reveal anything that wasn't common knowledge, at least, and that was an important part.

If you can't blow them away with your brilliance, baffle them with your bullcrap. He remembered seeing that somewhere, and it fit the situation well.

Normally, he'd have possibly tried to maybe convert her to the project, considering that she already knew of it and she could be useful, but her loyalty to Joseph trumped her value towards his planning. Let sleeping dogs lie.

He was sure she'd respond back again as the pigeon left through the window of the room, so he'd decide what to do next based on that response. Perhaps there was nothing to worry about, it was possible she'd simply see his response as a joke and forget about him. She was still human after all, surely she didn't care about every little potential threat that popped up.

As he walked back to where Tabitha and Kirche waited at the door into the depths of the castle, he smiled at them to signal that he was alright, though internally, he was still worried about the situation. He looked up at the ceiling as he followed the two through the door, sighing as he mulled it over.

 _Are you watching me right now, Sheffield?_ he thought. _Do you even have a clue who New Divide really is, or are you grasping at straws? I know you're not as powerful as people think you are._

Powerful or not, she was a dangerous enemy. He couldn't let her know his identity, and now, he'd need to be careful about what he told Henrietta. Should he let her know about the new threat, or should he simply pretend nothing was wrong and try to deal with it himself?

So many problems now that Sheffield had come into play, and it didn't help that he had just realized that time was counting down before the Reconquista came into play. He'd almost completely forgotten about the rebellious organization, they hadn't made any move of Tristain yet after all so they had not been an immediate threat to the plan.

"David." Tabitha said, snapping him from his thoughts, and he blinked.

"Yeah?" he asked, and she smiled softly, holding her hands up, the tear glinting with magical energy.

"I want you to feed it to her. It was you who told me about it, so it should be you to cure her."

David blinked at the sentiment, and Kirche grinned. "Want my wand?" she asked. "Not that you can use it."

He smiled at the joke, before nodding to the Gallian girl, holding his hands under hers, and as she let go of the tear, it fell to his hands with a wet slap.

It felt bizarre, like a puddle of thick goo that should be slippery but wasn't, and the chilliness of its surface made it feel like it should be making his hands wet, but despite it being composed of water, he knew that no liquid was actually touching his hands. It was a strange sensation, but he made sure to be careful as they walked, now actually guided by Tabitha as they went deeper in.

"Don't worry." came the voice of the ghost again, and he almost stopped, but managed to simply slow slightly, sparing him from any curious glances from the two. "Sheffield will not hurt you. I will protect you."

 _That girl again…_ he thought, a small smile playing across his face. "Thank you." he said quietly, his volume low enough that he wouldn't be heard except by the voice. "Are you my guardian spirit?"

The voice chuckled lightly in his ear. "If I was, Tabitha would attempt to attack me. SHe hates ghosts, and what else can you call me?" she asked. "I am no one's guardian any more, sadly. I have no real attachments to this world anymore, so I have decided to protect you. I don't know your plans, but I will guide you when you need me."

"When will I be able to see you?"

The voice was silent until they began to head up the stairs toward the hallway containing the Duchess's room, and it only answered as they finally passed by the broken threshold of the room.

"When I no longer fear for my life."


	62. The Duchess' Tears

**Just watched Alien Covenant for my birthday, and now writing here. Because dying people fit well with Tabitha's mother!...Was that joke in bad taste?**

* * *

Tabitha's mother had not moved from her seat, sitting quietly, looking down at the ruined ground around her. The doll hung loosely from her hand gripping its arm, the toy's ever-smiling face staring blankly at the group.

"I'm here...mother." Tabitha said, and the woman lifted her head, though she still faced away from them. At least she'd responded without screaming about Charlotte, which was better than before.

David stood behind her, keeping the tear steady in his hands. He looked down at it, looking at the faint reflection of his own face as he frowned.

 _Will this actually work?_ he thought. _This is such a long shot, and the spirit didn't sound that sure either…_

It seemed unbelievable to him. To cure the love potion in the anime, Montmorency had had to create a potion from this...but it could be used raw to cure the Duchess? It sounded too good to be true…

Tabitha walked to the woman in the chair, picking her way carefully through the ruined room, bright light passing through the blown-out windows onto the once-smooth tile floor.

She hopped over a hole opened to the floor below and stood next to the woman, her staff in hand, though this time, she didn't raise the weapon against the woman.

She stared down with half-lidded eyes, her expression sad as she stood next to the woman, who didn't even spare a glance at her. "Mother-"

"Don't take Charlotte away from me." the Duchess said, and she sighed, shaking her head.

"I knew you'd say that…" she said, turning her head to face the two waiting at the broken doorway. "It's alright. She won't panic this time."

The two nodded, slowly moving through the wreckage toward the chair. Kirche stopped a few feet away, not sure if she should be so close, while David slowly walked in front of the woman, bending to rest on one knee so he could see her at eye level, the tear shining in his hands.

His expression was grim as he witnessed the woman's face. She was calm, far calmer than she'd been when they first came here. If anything, she was too calm...What had made her mellow out so quickly?

Maybe she simply understood what was going on. Insanity was not a total breakdown, those afflicted with it will always have a connection to reality. No elven magic could change that.

He smiled sadly at the woman, who simply stared blankly, long strands of greasy hair blocking her eyesight. She was definitely Tabitha's mother, he could see the same light in her light blue eyes, hidden away behind the shell surrounding her consciousness.

"Hello, Lady Orleans." he said, keeping his voice low and level so he wouldn't startle the woman. Only a small twitch of her eye towards him signalled that she'd heard. "I'm here to help you." He raised his hands, showing her the tear. "This will nullify the poison and bring you back."

The woman stared silently, the only sound coming from her the raspy sound of her breathing, before she finally responded, her voice as low as his, her lips barely moving as she whispered a response.

"Charlotte?" she asked, and he nodded.

"Charlotte is here. She wants to see you again. She wants you to protect her for real."

Tabitha's face stayed flat as she watched the two, and Kirche stayed back, not wanting to get involved. The tramp knew that she couldn't do anything here, and neither could Tabitha. It was all up to David whether the woman accepted the cure or not.

The Duchess stared at him, and her hand began to raise, dragging the doll up to her eye level, and her eyes rolled slowly to face the raggedy toy, a bit of fluff sticking out from the rip in the fabric she'd produced the last time she'd gone wild. "Protect...Charlotte…" she said, and the doll lowered again, resting in her lap as she turned her attention back to him.

He nodded, and blinked as her other hand raised, and to his surprise, she rested her bony palm on his shoulder. He glanced at Tabitha, who gave only the raise of an eyebrow to signal that she noticed anything.

"Who are you…" the woman asked, staring directly at his eyes, and he almost flinched at the gaze she was giving him. It wasn't one of accusation, or of trust. It was just...emotionless. Like she felt nothing but curiosity as to the identity of the unknown person in front of her.

He nodded. "David James Wilson." he replied. "I'm Charlotte's friend. She wanted me to help you."

"Charlotte's...friend…" Her eyes trailed down, fixating on the tear in his hands, and her eyelids widened almost imperceptibly. "Elven magic…"

He shook his head. "Not elven. The water spirit gave this to me, telling me to feed it to you. It will help you." This would be the hardest part, convincing her to eat the tear...He had little doubt that she no longer trusted water-based things given to her by strangers.

Her eyes didn't move from the tear. "Help me…" she said quietly. "Poison…"

He shook his head, raising the tear up to her mouth, and she stared, her eyes crossing slightly as she attempted to continue following the substance, though her head didn't shift, towards or away from the tear. "It will help you. Think of it as Charles' last gift. You don't want to disappoint him, do you?"

"Charles…" she said. "Who…" Her hand trembled on his shoulder, and he sighed at the feeling of her dessicated hand. It was a miracle she'd survived this long. How long had it been since she'd last eaten?

He was about to pull the tear away, before she shook her head. "No…" she said, and he stopped, realizing that her eyes were on him again. "Charles…" Her hand left his shoulder, and from her lap she raised her other hand, the doll resting over her legs, now not held down in her fingers as she cupped her hands under his, pushing his hands up to her mouth. "I will drink...for Charles."

He nodded as she slowly pushed his hands up, before she lowered her head, pressing the tear to her lips and sucking, pulling the liquid into her mouth as her eyes closed, and he could see the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes wetten as she added her own tears to the magic.

The tear glowed as she drank, the shine growing brighter as it shrank in David's hand, and he made sure not to turn away as he watched her drinking it.

After she finished, her eyes opened again, fluttering slowly as she looked at him, her hands lowering to her lap.

"Charles…" she said, and her eyes drooped closed again, her head lowering to rest facing downward as she fell asleep.

He smiled, lightly pushing her head back to rest on the cushion behind her, and when he knew she was secure, he stood, turning to Tabitha and nodding.

She nodded back, and Kirche looked between them in confusion.

"So...is she cured, or…" the tanned girl asked, and David smirked as he looked at her.

"The cure's going to take a little time. It's an experimental solution anyway, we can't guarantee that it'll work completely, or even at all."

Tabitha shook her head, looking at her now-sleeping mother. "No. It will work." she replied. "She was calm and took it herself. The magic was already beginning to work, and David chose the correct delivery. If it had been me, then she would have pushed me away and spilled the tear."

David smiled. "She didn't seem too different to me." he said. "Maybe she just needed a change of pace, someone else to approach her other than you. I think she was associating you with the poison since you kept getting angry at her."

The girl stared at him for several seconds, before shaking her head again. "She said 'Charles'. Charles, not Charlotte. She was projecting my father onto you. It is you more than the tear that will cure her."

"Don't deny your own worth." came the voice of David's friendly ghost. "Thank you for saving our mother."

 _No problem._ he thought, smiling. "I'm just here to help."

"I hope you go back home with a fulfilled heart." the ghost said, and he blinked, looking down at the ground.

 _That's right...I have to get back to Earth…_ He sighed, reaching to scratch the back of his head. _I almost forgot, this isn't my world, isn't it?_


	63. Casper the Friendly Wind Clone

David had forgotten how amazing it felt to sleep in a real bed. Even in the Enchanted Fairy Inn, he'd only had a mattress, and the beds in the Versailles castle were better quality than even the ones on Earth, not that his family exactly got or needed the finest quality.

Right now, he was buried in his covers, his hoodie hung over a hook on the wall as he stared at the door. At a corner rested his guitar case and Derf, the sword having gone quiet as usual, and it was unlikely to speak for a long time.

The castle was quiet at this hour. Kirche and Tabitha both had their own rooms and the butler slept somewhere else, and he wasn't sure if anyone else lived here. Even so, he knew that he was being watched at all times, though oddly, he wasn't even creeped out by the thought. Rather, it was more comforting, like he was being protected by some unknown spirit.

He knew he wasn't alone in the room despite the silence. The dim room's only source of light was the moonbeams shining through the small, high-raised window, casting the room in a very low glow that didn't allow for many details to be seen.

At the wall opposite his bed stood a figure whose features were hidden in the darkness, but he could see pale skin and what he assumed was a dark, low-cut dress, trailing on the ground below the figure.

He'd seen glimpses of the voice's source a few times, as he had when she first guided him throughout the castle. He still didn't know what she looked like, but she had the same teal hair that the other members of the family had, so she must be some relative, but he had no idea what her relation to them was, and to be honest he was afraid to ask Tabitha. He knew that she feared ghosts, so mentioning it definitely wouldn't yield good results.

Now, her signature hair color was unnoticeable, cast in the same pale glow as her skin as her eyes were covered in the reflection of the window on the thin lenses of her glasses.

He smiled as the two stared at each other, and though he couldn't see her expression, he had no doubt that she was smiling too. This was the first time that she'd stayed in all her glory for long near him, and while he couldn't see her well, the thought that she trusted him enough to be near her like this was comforting.

"So." he said, his voice sounding loud in the quiet room. "What's your name? Did you die here?"

The voice's source chuckled, her voice echoing in his ears. By now, he had realized why her voice was familiar. It sounded much like Tabitha's, though this girl was far more reserved. It was as if she had taken on Tabitha's old guarded personality.

"I'm not dead." she replied. "I'm just a wind clone, same as those which Charlotte...excuse me, Tabitha, can create. The real me is somewhere else."

David took note that she'd avoided answering the question of her name, but didn't press. He knew that she would clam up if he tried to force her to answer. "Where is she? Will I ever meet her?"

The ghost was silent for several seconds before replying. "Perhaps, when she feels it is safe. For now, you'll have to make do with a wind clone. I hope it's not a problem."

He laughed, shifting to lay on his back in the bed, adjusting his blankets over him. "Nah, that's fine...Hmm, I need to call you a name. It's too much effort to call you 'the voice' or 'the spirit' all the time."

"I don't mind being considered a ghost. It is incorrect, but easier to explain."

He shook his head, turning his head sideways to face her. "No, nobody should just stay unnamed. It dehumanizes you after all, and I'd rather feel like I'm talking to a friend than a servant."

A chuckle. "You are an odd human...but I suppose it is natural of someone not from this world."

David smiled. "So you do know about that." he said, and she nodded.

"I doubt there's any major player in any side who doesn't know of the boy from another world." she replied.

He grinned. "I think I'll call you Casper. Casper the Friendly Wind Clone." he said, and in the low light he thought he saw her tilt her head, but he could have been wrong.

"Is that a reference to your world?" she asked, and he laughed.

"You'll find that a lot of things I say are references to my world." he said. "So...What'll happen to you when I leave Gallia? I won't be here forever after all."

"I am aware that you must go back to your master." she stated. "The real me will remain where she is, along with the locations of other wind clones. As for me…" She shifted, the reflection on her glasses briefly fading as she changed the angle at which she stood, before she leaned on the wall again, still shrouded in darkness. "I will create another clone to watch over the castle, and send this one with you...hidden, of course."

He nodded, humming to himself. "So you're able to use magic like the source mage?" he asked. "Do you need a wand to do it, or are wind clones different?"

She shook her head, and her arm shifted to reach into the low neckline of her dress, pulling out an object, which she tossed to him. He caught it with one hand, inspecting the artifact.

A stick. Not a wand, a literal stick, rough and knobby as if it had just been cut from a tree. "Huh." he said, twirling it in his hands. "Are there no rules for how wands need to work? No cores or anything like in Harry Potter?"

He tossed it back, and she caught it, returning it to what was probably a hidden breast pocket. "I don't know what Harry Potter is, but in this world, anything can be used as a wand as long as it has a focusing end. I, along with the rest of me, prefer using uncut branches and such. It is much less work than carving out a wand, and works just as well." She sighed sadly. "It is...difficult for the real me to obtain wands. She once had a normal one, but it was broken, and now she simply uses branches like mine."

"Don't you need special methods for casting magic?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"I don't know. Traditionally, wands are simple wood, but any material could feasibly be used for one. I don't understand what defines what can or can't cast magic."

 _Another mystery of magic._ "I bet it has to do with Brimir." he said. "He was the father of modern spellcasting, right? Maybe he also set the rules for wands."

She laughed. "I hope you don't really believe that Brimir founded the runic system." she said, shifting in what he assumed was crossing her arms, and he could hear her dress swish on the ground as she moved. "It's unthinkable that one man could do such a thing, it was likely a process of decades if not centuries of researching magic that brought about the runic system we use today."

He sighed. "Yeah, I don't really know how much I can and can't believe...There's so much about Brimir that's pure speculation...I don't even know why it matters, it's not like he's relevant anymore. Maybe he never even existed and he's just the magic world's scapegoat for the origin."

"No, he definitely existed." Casper said. "There's traceable evidence that he's the ancestor of the Gallia, Tristain, and Albion royal bloodlines, and Romalia's records of their popes certainly are accurate because it's considered heresy to lie about their pattern of rulers. The founder of Romalia was certainly Brimir's servant."

"Okay, so he did exist, I'll believe that then." David said. "But what about Void? I heard that it's passed down the bloodlines, but how did it start?"

She shook her head. "Bloodlines do play a role, but not entirely. It's more a matter of convention that it's usually a member of the royal family who gains it, and sometimes, it can remain dormant for centuries. The de Gallia family have been the most active, and there have been no breaks between the summoning of Mjöðvitnir since Brimir's time. On the opposite end, there has not been a record of a Lífþrasir almost since the time when elven blood still ran through Brimir's descendants."

David blinked. "Elven blood?" he asked. Were Henrietta and Tabitha elves? It was possible, but he couldn't imagine it…

Casper chuckled. "It's just a rumor, but there is a belief that Sasha, the first Gandalfr and Lífþrasir, was an elf. If it's true, then the power of the elves that she carried has long since thinned out of the bloodlines."

"Was she Brimir's...wife?" he asked.

"You sound surprised. She wouldn't be the only case of a servant bearing her master's children. In this world where politics are everything, it's more common than you'd think."

"I don't think that only politics matter, even here. Look at you, you're helping me even though I'm not really doing much to help Gallia. I'm just working to give Tabitha something I thought she deserved."

"And that is why I am supporting you. I too have no ties to Gallia, and no concern for what happens, but because you are defending Tabitha's sanity and cured our mother, I see no reason to doubt your virtue."

He frowned. "That was something else I was wondering…'Our mother'? Are you Tabitha's sister?"

Silence. A small gust of wind blew, and he realized the girl was gone, leaving him alone in the room.

He sighed, looking up at the ceiling. He'd been afraid that asking that question would cause her to react that way. He already missed the company of the companionable 'ghost'.

He snuggled further into the blankets and sighed. "So many questions…" he said to himself. And so few answers.

That night, he had the best rest, but the strangest dreams, of his life.


	64. Dissociation

When his eyes opened, David knew right away that he was dreaming. He looked around at his setting, though oddly, he found himself not in control of his body.

Usually, when you're aware of being in a dream, the brain automatically switches to lucid dreaming, giving the dreamer full control of their body and surroundings, so the fact that that had not happened here told him that this was more than a simple dream.

Looking at his left hand, he found that the Gandalfr runes were missing. Were they the cause of this? Was this dream another consequence of his defying Louise?

Where was he, anyway? Looking around, it seemed like a forest, but he couldn't hear any sort of wildlife anywhere. It was dead silent, like the room where he was sleeping. Where were the birds and the leaves blowing in the wind?

The dead silence made it easy to hear as a rustling came from behind him, but when he tried to turn, he found himself locked in place. He could do nothing but wait for whatever it was to come into view.

A boy, over a foot shorter than David, appeared, grinning as he ran backwards, facing someone who still was behind him. "Come on, hurry up!" the boy said, his voice jovial and his expression happy. Wherever he was taking his companion, he was clearly excited to show them.

"Where are you taking me this time?" came a second voice, and a girl came to view. She stood a head taller than him, and her pointed ears signalled that she was an elf. At her side rested a belt sheath, the golden handle of a sword poking out from the sheath. "Honestly-" David cringed as the name she said was erased by a jarring boom, though the two seemed not to notice. "There's a tree behind you, turn around and pay attention!"

The boy's eyes closed as he grinned, and he ducked to the side, keeping his momentum as he dodged the tree, laughing as he did so. "You don't need to worry about me-" Another jarring sound. Why were their names censored? "I can handle myself, I'm a mage after all!"

The girl rolled her eyes. "Yes, a mage who nearly killed himself when he summoned me." She lifted her left hand, and David blinked as he caught sight of runes etched into the hand...Was she a Gandalfr too?

He found his body moving on its own as they passed through the forest, him following behind as they moved.

The boy frowned, his voice filled with mock pain as he replied. "Oh, come on-" Another jarring sound. "Are you still mad at me for all that?"

"Of course I am! I told you I'd help you with your magic, I never agreed to be your familiar!" So the boy was a Void mage, and she was his familiar...that explained Gandalfr. DId that mean the sword on her back was Derf? But it looked nothing like his Derf, this was a form of shamshir, not a falchion...Had Derf gone through other stages than just the current form?

And how did he know the type of sword she had anyway? It was oddly shaped, extremely bent on the blade. A typical Arabic weapon, it made sense that an elf would be wielding one since their geographic location was around that area. But how did he know it was specifically a shamshir? If he had touched it, perhaps Gandalfr would tell him, but as it was, he shouldn't know. Perhaps this girl's knowledge of the sword had been passed down by the runes they shared?

The groaned as the jarring sound came again as the girl caled to the boy, who had begun to get away from her, while and and David followed at a slower pace.

"Please stop with the noises…" he complained, and blinked in surprise at his voice.

His voice was deep, far deeper than his waking voice. It made him sound like Joseph, almost. Weird.

What was even weirder was that the elf girl had turned her head to face him, and she blew air through her mouth in a sound that was between a chuckle and a snort. "Geez, you always complain about everything, don't you, Vidar? Still pissed because-" The jarring sound again. "-decided to name you Mjöðvitnir instead of some cooler reference like 'Aegir' or something?"

David blinked in confusion, but his body spoke again, in the same deep voice, unbidden by his control. "Forgive me for not wanting to be associated with a _dwarf_. Look at me, I'm two feet taller than that little prick!"

Was he just riding in someone else's body, then? What was going on? Who were these people?

The girl smirked. "Lighten up, Vidar. Be more like-" Why was every name except that of his host redacted?! "-she's always so calm even when she has to be left behind!"

His host grit his teeth in irritation, and David could hear the man's thoughts. He was irritated at this little elf girl who dared to question him, but he'd never attempt to attack her. He was too afraid of the boy who they were following to dare hurt the boy's favorite pet.

"That's because she doesn't feel the need to worry about anything. She was named Vindalfr after a dwarf too, and yet she's perfectly happy with it!"

"Then take a note from her and stop worrying so much about it! Everything has a plan, right?" The jarring sound. "-probably has a reason to name us as he did!"

"Weren't you just complaining about him summoning you? Honestly, those runes freaking hurt when they get slapped on, I had a headache for a week when mine came in."

She looked thoughtful, before shrugging. "Sure, it bothers me, but I'm not as mad as I make it seem around him. It's not like much is different after all. We all will serve him with our lives, what's different about making it official?"

"Of course you'd think that, considering you want to get into his pants." he said, and she blinked, her pale face turning red at the implication.

"I do not!" she shouted indignantly. "Why does everyone keep saying that?! He's my master, not my husband!"

Vidar grinned. "And I bet you want that to change, don't you?" he asked.

"Hurry up, you two!" shouted the boy from somewhere ahead, out of eyesight in the trees. "We're almost there!"

Vidar sighed and shook his head, suddenly stopping in his movement. "Go ahead, I have something to check out first."

The elf blinked, stopping as well to respond. "Are your runes bothering you again?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"They don't hurt anymore, but I'm sensing a presence. Just go ahead, I will deal with it alone."

She stared at him with concern for several seconds, before continuing on, leaving him alone.

The Mjöðvitnir shook his head. "I know you're watching." he said. "I can feel you in my mind."

David jolted in surprise. _You can sense me?_ he thought, and the man's mouth lifted in a smirk.

"I am the Mjöðvitnir. My mental prowess is better than any mage alive." he replied. "It was taking all my power to keep the identities of my allies a secret from you. Who are you? Are you a spy for the elves?"

 _The elves…?_ The current Gandalfr thought in surprise. _No, I'm like you! I carry runes as well!_

Vidar spent several moments to think before replying. "I see. You are like her. A wielder of the Gandalfr runes." He nodded. "Then that confirms a few suspicions of mine. Thank you for explaining. I am Vidar, the current Mjöðvitnir of my time."

 _And I'm David, the current Gandalfr of mine._ His time? Had he inadvertently connected to this man through his dream?

The man chuckled. "Tell me, David, I'd like to know...Do the Mjöðvitnir runes live on? I would appreciate knowing if my legacy continues on to whenever you are from."

David laughed. _It does. The current one is named Sheffield. We...aren't exactly on friendly terms._

Vidar's laugh exceeded his own, a loud bellowing of pure mirth at the concept. "It seems that even in the future, times do not change between us." he replied. "I can't stand the Gandalfr, perhaps that rivalry simply continues on."

 _Perhaps it does, though I'd like to make friends with her._

Vidar waved his hand. "Do as you wish, I am likely long dead by your time. I have no bearing on the future." He sighed and stretched his back. "Well, I'll have to extract you now...Want to remember this interaction? I can make you forget if you don't feel it will help you in your journey."

David thought over the option, before making his decision. _Let me remember. I'd like to tell Sheffield about her predecessor when we can call each other a friend._


	65. Casper the Fallen Noble

The gargoyle sent by Sheffield to watch David through his window tilted its head as Tabitha entered the room, but its basal intelligence was so low that it barely registered what was happening before the glass blasted outwards, and it was instantly vaporized by a powerful ice lance issued by the girl's staff.

She didn't even look at the window, opting instead to watch David, standing next to his bed as he slept. Her eyes rotated to face his left hand, which stuck out from the blankets. His runes were glowing, but they weren't flashing like before, so she decided not to worry about it.

She tapped his forehead with the bulbous end of her staff, and he groaned, moving the Gandalfr hand to rub the spot where she'd tapped him, and as he woke up, the runes stopped glowing, fading away as he opened his eyes.

"...Tabitha?" he asked. "What was that noise?" He glanced out the window, and blinked as he found it missing the glass. It was still dark outside, but the girl appeared wide awake.

David yawned and sat up, groggily stretching as he thought over the dream he'd had. He had an idea who the other two people in it might have been, but if they really were Brimir and Sasha, then Vidar had done more than just bleep out their names. Brimir couldn't be such a young kid even back then, he had to have spent years researching magic before finally unlocking void, so he had to be at least Osmond's age before summoning Sasha, right?

Now, he had to push the dream aside as he noticed the stare Tabitha was giving him. "What's up?" he asked, yawning. "What time is it?"

Tabitha shrugged. "5 or so. Mother was calling for you."

He blinked, and his tiredness melted into a smile. "She's responsive?" That was great news, it meant the tear was working!

He blinked. "Wait...calling for me? Not you?"

"I was with her the entire night. After she woke up, she started asking for you." He hesitated for a few seconds, before sighing. "Actually, she was asking for Charles, but I think she was confusing him with you. She's still not fully normal."

He nodded, sitting up and pulling the blankets off his body. "Yeah, she's going to be bedridden for a few days at best." He stood up, stretching as he took his hoodie, knowing the castle would be cold in the hallways. Large stone aisles and no central heating system meant little heat distribution, after all. "Well, if you think she wants me, then I'd better go, huh?" he asked, smiling. "Worst that can happen is that she wasn't looking for me."

He turned to face his sword, blinking as he noticed that it had been moved a few inches from where he'd set it, now beside his guitar case instead of on top of it. Had Casper moved it for some reason?

"Derf, want to go too?" he asked, and the sword popped out to speak.

"Nah, partner. You do your thing. If she's conscious now, she might take my presence as a threat."

David nodded. "Good point." he replied, shrugging and turning to Tabitha. "Alright, lead me there." he said, smiling, and Tabitha's mouth lifted as she turned to lead him out of the room.

He felt rather than heard the presence return to his mind as they walked down the halls, and he smiled inwardly as he heard Casper confirm that she was there. No important information or uplifting speech here, just a short greeting and that was it.

At least she didn't sound all that shaken by the conversation the night before. If anything, she acted as if she'd forgotten it ever happened, now back to her normal post as his honorary guardian spirit. Er…guardian wind clone.

Now that he knew she wasn't a ghost, her identity was all the more mysterious to him. He knew very little about Tabitha's family tree outside of her mother, Charles, and Joseph, and, he suspected, Isabella was related to her in some way. From the glimpses he'd gotten and her general body shape last night, he doubted Casper was Isabella...so who could it be?

He had little information on any other members of the family. No, he had zero information. Not once had anyone except Casper mentioned another member of Tabitha's immediate family. Was she lying about it then? But he still felt that she was a de Orleans or de Gallia…

He bumped into Tabitha, who'd stopped in front of a door, and at a glance from her, he smiled sheepishly.

"Sorry, wasn't paying attention." he said, and she continued staring at him for a few seconds, before turning to the door, her hand hovering at the knob.

"Before we go in…" she said. "Are you feeling alright?"

He blinked. "Yeah, I'm fine...why?"

She looked down, her hand touching the knob, but not turning it. "You've been talking to yourself recently."

He gulped. Had she noticed? He'd done his best to be quiet about it!

She turned her head to face him, her stare slightly accusatory. "Tell me...is there someone else living in this castle?"

There it was. Once again, Tabitha's observation proved better than his ability to keep secrets...how was he supposed to make up something now?

This wasn't as easily explained away as New Divide, but he doubted she'd given up on that either. He racked his brain for an explanation, before she spoke again.

"What did she tell you?" she asked. "She lead you to me, back when I wished to kill my mother. How much do you know about her?"

"She said-" He blinked, his eyes narrowing. "I didn't say they were a girl."

Tabitha's eyes widened almost imperceptibly before returning to normal, but it was enough that he caught the motion, and he stared at her.

"You know who she is, don't you?" he asked. "She isn't a ghost and she's not a figment of my imagination. She's someone you know."

"..." The girl turned away, unable to focus on his glare, and she slowly nodded. "I do. She is...was...my sister."

David blinked. "Was?" he asked, and she shook her head, holding the hand not on the knob to the side of her head.

"She lost a bet." she replied. "And her title was stripped from her. She no longer exists under Gallian law…"

David's eyes widened. He remembered something like that before. Where had he heard about that?

That's right. Isabella had told him something about a bet she'd made with someone. She'd said that she was betting someone's status as a noble on whether or not she'd get food poisoning from a raw steak...One that he'd prepared.

"I don't blame you for it. Isabella is a trickster." came Casper's voice, and Tabitha looked around, the voice now echoing through the hallway instead of just in his own head.

He stared at Tabitha, unsure of what direction to face. He knew it was too good to be true to think that Casper had let her face be seen.

What was the name? He knew he knew it, but he just couldn't remember it…

It was...something that sounded like Joseph. Josephine? Jacqueline?

...That was it. He remembered now.

"Josette."


	66. Charlotte's Doll

Silence reigned through the hallway as Tabitha looked down, turning to stare at the door. "...You know her name?"

He nodded. "Isabella mentioned her, when Louise and I were away."

"She told you about the bet." It wasn't a question, but a statement, and he nodded.

"Apparently she wa using me as the crux of the bet...Sorry, Josette…" He looked down, but lifted his head as the voice spoke again.

"I told you, I don't blame you. When she makes a bet, nothing stops her from winning." she said, her voice echoing in the hallway. "And...I prefer that you not call me by that name."

He blinked, looking to his side, though he didn't know why - the voice was sourceless, echoing all around him. Perhaps he just wanted a focal point other than the back of Tabitha's head. "It's your name, isn't it? Shouldn't you want-"

"No!" Josette yelled, cutting him off, and Tabitha's head jolted lower at the volume, her hand trembling on the doorknob, her eyes tearing up with an emotion she kept barely in check. "I am not Josette anymore." Her voice returned to her usual low volume, reminiscent of Tabitha's usual monotone. "By Gallian law, Josette de Orleans is not just dead, she never existed. Tabitha is an only child, she never had a sister, and especially not a noble one. I am Casper, a nameless wind clone whose only function is to protect David Wilson!" By the end of the rant, her voice had raised again, cracking with emotion as she shouted in his ear.

He stared, his eyes wide, and in his mind, he could almost project the silhouette he'd seen last night onto the floor in front of him.

"Casper…" he said, his voice practically a whisper. He closed his eyes and inhaled as he collected his thoughts, before he smiled softly and opened his eyes again. "As long as you're protecting me, I don't care who you are. Just do your job and I won't ask questions."

"David…" Tabitha said. His wording was harsh, but it had the desired effect as a laugh echoed throughout the hallway.

"What a jerk." Josette said. "If you're going to be that way, then there's no way I can leave you out to dry, now can't I? If I did, you'd be ripped apart the instant Sheffield decided you were a threat."

He blinked as her voice came directly to his mind again, so that Tabitha wouldn't hear. "Be careful though, seriously. Sheffield's beefed up security after hearing about New Divide. I don't really get the point of it, but hey, I'm not some fancy familiar, I'm just a girl who doesn't exist."

He smiled, before frowning as he heard a hoarse voice calling from inside the room.

"Charles!" came the voice of the Duchess, who certainly sounded healthier than the day before, and Tabitha sighed.

"Enough about Josette." she said, her voice low. "We've kept Mother waiting for long enough."

David nodded as she opened the door to let the two inside.

The room was small, but it was all the woman needed. A fire roared in a small fireplace on the wall facing the foot of her bed, while she herself laid with her body and arms under a mound of blankets, a rag soaked in warm water resting over her forehead and covering her eyes.

Apparently the de Orleans' butler didn't know about the warm water trick, so David had taught it to him. It was a simple solution to the woman's fever, and he had no doubt that the man had continuously replaced the rag throughout the night. Why the manor was so severely understaffed, he still didn't know.

As the door closed behind them, the woman's head turned to face them, the rag slipping so that one of her eyes were uncovered, and she peered at them, her blue eyes still covered in bags from exhaustion and sickness. The gaunt appearance wouldn't change for a long time, it takes a while to shake off the years of neglect her body had undergone.

"Charles." the woman said, and David smiled, deciding to play along with the woman's mistaken identity.

"I'm here, don't worry. What is it?" he asked, walking up to her, Tabitha following at his side.

The woman's eye rolled to her daughter, and she stared at the girl for several seconds. "Is that...Charlotte?" she asked, and he blinked.

She'd already healed enough to recognize Tabitha? That was wonderful for both of them then! His smile now was more genuine as he nodded, wrapping his arm around the girl's shoulder.

Tabitha blushed as he grinned. "Yeah, it's your daughter. Remember her now?"

The Duchess continued staring for several seconds, before nodding, her eye twitching in its socket, a clear layer of liquid coating the organ. "Charlotte…" Her hand came out from under the blanket, still gripping the doll tightly by its arm. The rag slipped from her head fully, folding over itself on the pillow next to her head.

She stared at the doll, before her eyes went back to Tabitha. "This is...Tabitha." she said quietly. "Charlotte's...doll."

David nodded. "That's right. This is Charlotte, not that." he said, and the woman frowned as she looked at him, her expression changing. No longer did she look so confused as her mouth twisted into a frown and her voice developed a sharp edge.

"Charles." she said, and he blinked at her changed tone of voice. "This doll...it was my demon, wasn't it?"

He stared in surprise, before nodding slowly, unsure how to respond. "...Yes. It was. You believed that it was your daughter."

Her eyes hardened, and she sighed, turning her head to face up at the ceiling, her hand will holding up the doll. "Charles. I want my daughter back."

He smiled as a sideways glance at the girl showed tears beginning to trail down her face at the woman's words. "She's here. Charlotte's here." Tabitha said, smiling sadly and holding her hand out to touch her mother's raised arm.

The woman slowly turned her head as she felt her thin arm wrapped in her daughter's soft hand, and she blinked, a gradual and methodical motion. Her hand trembled as it held the doll. "Charles." she said again. "Thank you for saving her." Now, David didn't know if she was referring to him or her late husband. Perhaps she was talking to both.

"The doll." the woman continued. "Charles...take it. Tabitha was my demon, but you exorcised it. Maybe it will be an angel to you."

David blinked, watching the doll as it hung loosely in the woman's fingers, and he glanced at Tabitha, who slowly nodded, and he gulped, reaching his hand to take the toy.

It came easily from the Duchess's grasp, and his hand wrapped around it, staring as he felt the rough edge where it had ripped the first time he'd seen the woman, his finger scratching at the rough cotton inside. He'd repair it later, himself. He was terrible with embroidery, but he knew that having someone else do it would ruin the emotional attachment.

This was a gift given to him by Tabitha's mother. He didn't know why that meant so much to him, but it did. She had no relation to him and little relevance to his plans, but right now, he knew that she may be the most important adult in this world that he'd met.

King Henri and Queen Marianne were nice, but they had done little to earn his respect. No, this Duchess was a true fighter. She had succumbed to her insanity, but even then, she still fought to protect her daughter. SHe was simply misguided on who exactly her daughter was. That was something he could respect, and he felt that respect clearly as she turned her head again, her breathing slowing as she began to fall asleep.

She opened her eyes as Casper's voice passed through the room, and David felt a presence behind him. His eyes went to the side as he saw Tabitha turn, and both her and the Duchess's eyes widened.

He didn't need to turn around to know what was happening. Josette was standing behind him. This would be a chance to see what she looked like in actual light.

But he didn't turn. The wind clone had said she wanted him not to know her as Josette, but as Casper. Knowing what she looked like would mean ruining the illusion that she was a different person.

Yet here she was, willing to risk him seeing her, and he knew why. She wanted her mother to see her in person once again.

His eyes turned back to the Duchess, overcoming the urge to turn to Josette, and smiled at the wide-eyed expression on the woman's face.

"You…" she said, her hand trembling in the air, still positioned as if she was still holding the doll that now rested in David's hands. "Are you…"

A chuckle from the girl behind him. "Yes, it's me. It's been a long time, hasn't it?" she asked. "Not that you know who I am."

"..." The Duchess's head shook slowly. "No...I know you. How could I forget Josette…"


	67. Home is Where the Heart Is

"..." The floor creaked as Josette shifted where she stood. "...I didn't think you would know me."

The Duchess smiled sadly, staring past David at her other daughter. "You left so long ago...I didn't know that you lived."

"I'm sorry." Josette said, her voice low. "I needed time to gain strength. I was so much weaker than Charlotte after all."

Tabitha looked back, while David gripped the doll in his hands, resisting the enormous desire to turn around.

"It's been a long time." she said. "But how and why did you become interested in David?"

He grit his teeth, carefully observing their mother's face to give himself a distraction, and he could immediately recognize the sadness as she was all but ignored by her precious Charlotte. Didn't the girl know that you have to give attention to someone passing from insanity like this?

"Tabitha." he said, and she turned to face him, her eyebrow raised in curiosity at his tone.

"Yes, David?"

"My relationship with Casper doesn't matter right now. Like you said, let's stop talking about her. She's here in this room for the same reason as you are, after all."

A giggle, which quickly morphed into a laugh. "What a jerk!" Josette said, her laugh echoing in the tiny room, and the sound seemed to be infectious as Charlotte, and even the Duchess, joined in.

"It's been so long since we could all laugh together." the Duchess said, sighing as she shifted the covers over herself, her gaze boring into David. "It's too bad that Joseph and little Isabella couldn't come too…" She shook her head. "But I'm sure Charles would be happy."

David blinked, laughing sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head with a hand. "Found me out that quickly?" he asked, and the Duchess smiled, a genuine smile, one he never expected to see, especially this soon. Was she healed even farther than he thought and just faking it earlier?

"Charles was much shorter than you." she said. "And he had blue hair like the rest of us. I knew you weren't him almost as soon as I took that potion."

"Potion…?" he asked, before blinking, nodding his head in understanding. "Right, that...I suppose you could call it a potion, couldn't you?"

A giggle from Josette. "I'm sorry for being gone for so long. I really have missed the times when we all laughed together."

Tabitha smiled as she shifted her attention behind her. "Not like you'd remember, we were 4 when you left."

"Oh, really?" Josette challenged, and from the corner of his eye, he could see a finger pointing at the girl to his side. "While you were going to parties and playing with Isabella, I was building my memory skills and magic. I'd love to duel you now, I am confident that I can defeat you."

Tabitha looked at her, and a small smile was the only warning as she raised her staff, firing three ice shards from the air behind him.

A thump at the wall behind him, and David almost turned around to make sure the girl was alright, before the Duchess's laugh caught his attention again.

"I don't remember the last time I saw Josette's vanishing spells!" she said happily, sighing as she looked between the two, before blinking and turning her gaze as a thud came from behind David, signalling that the girl had returned. "It seems that the winner of this duel is Josette…"

Tabitha tched, shooting a clearly fake glare at her sister, before smiling. "It's been too long since I met another Chevalier." she said, and Josette chuckled.

"Ex-Chevalier." she corrected. "Remember, I don't actually exist anymore."

"Yeah, if you did exist, then you'd be pinned to the wall by those ice shards, wouldn't you?" David asked. "Then again, Casper's body is intangible!"

The Duchess blinked in confusion. "Who is Casper? Why are they intangible?" she asked.

"David's homeland is a confusing place with odd traditions." Josette answered for the familiar. "It's best not to question things, or else more questions will come."

The Duchess blinked, before nodding. "I see…" She turned to David and nodded again. "Dmitry explained to me roughly what was going on while he was taking care of me. You will be returning to school with my daughters soon, won't you?" she asked, and he nodded, sighing as he scratched his head.

"I'm going to have a lot of explaining to do to Louise…" he said, and the Duchess blinked.

"Louise...The daughter of the Duke de la Valliere?" she asked. "Oh, forgive me if I made an improper assumption."

He shook his head. "No, that's the one...Guess it makes sense that you'd know her, I bet the cadet families meet frequently, don't they?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"I'm sure things are different now. Ten years is plenty of time for things to change dramatically." she stated. "But I did meet her before...She was a guest of honor with Karin of the Heavy Wind that day." Her smile dropped as she looked away from the group. "Thinking back...it was such a stupid decision for me to do that, wasn't it?" she asked, her voice dropping. "Charlotte, I-"

"Don't." Tabitha said, cutting the woman off. "I don't care anymore. The past is over, and you're now on the road to recovery. I don't want to hear your apologies."

The Duchess turned back to face them, and her smile returned. "David...you remind me of Charles so much...Do you mind if I continue using his name?"

David blinked in surprise. "Uhh…" He hesitated, but thinking about it, what was there to worry about? He smiled, nodding as he replied. "Sure. That's fine by me. I'm calling both of your daughters by alternate names after all, it's only fair."

The Duchess smiled. "Then please call me Georgia." she said. "That is my name."

He blinked, turning to Tabitha, who shrugged, and he nodded. "Then, I'll be sure to take care of them both, Lady Georgia." he said, performing an exaggerated bow.

The Duchess chuckled. "Don't bother with the formalities...After a decade of inactivity, I'm sure I no longer hold the title of Duchess. I am simply a ward of the state now." SHe shook her head. "But thank you. I'm placing Charlotte in your hands."


	68. Goodbye, Georgia!

**It's Mass Update Day and I've been busy with Evil Eye, but I figured I have to do a chapter here too!**

* * *

Casper had vanished again by the time the two left the room, the Duchess waving as they closed the door behind them, a smile on her face as she watched them leave.

Tabitha sighed, holding the hand not holding her staff to her chest as she closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. "That was-" she said, before cutting herself off, shaking her head and smiling, looking up at the tall boy next to her, a smile appearing on her face. "Thank you for saving her." she said, turning to face him, before looking down, gripping her staff tightly in her hand. "And, David?"

"Yeah?" he asked, holding the doll in his hands. He wasn't sure what to do with it, but he wanted to keep it close, and it seemed to be the right decision as Tabitha glanced at it before replying to his acknowledgement.

"I'm sorry for suspecting you." she said, and he blinked as her smile dropped, but couldn't get a word in before she continued. "I thought you had some sort of magic I didn't know about, and so I was suspicious...It seems I was wrong. You simply have done your research...You're no threat, I can see that now. So...I'm sorry."

She lowered her head, frowning sadly, before looking up in surprise as his hand met the top of her head.

He laughed at her shocked expression, rubbing her head as he nodded. "No problem. I would have been more worried if you didn't notice anything. You're a Chevalier of Gallia, it's only natural that you'd be suspicious of me. I'm not exactly normal after all."

He grinned and lowered his hand from her head, holding his left wrist in his right hand. "These runes kind of make me unusual as is, and I am from another world. Naturally things won't be the same."

"No wonder Isabella is interested in you." Casper's voice said, and he laughed.

"I've got a few things to say to her next time I see her, and not just relating to you, Casper." he said, and the wind clone giggled.

"Don't rip her apart too much, it would be bad for New Divide, wouldn't it?" she said in his mind, and he smiled, while Tabitha blinked curiously.

He waved his hand. "Anyway, what's going to happen now? The break's not going to be for much longer, so what's going to happen with Georgia?"

Tabitha chuckled. "Already gotten used to using her first name?" she asked, before sighing. "We've only got a couple days left of the break, but I imagine that after that, Dmitry and Jo-Casper can take care of her."

He nodded. "And you're not worried? I mean, it'll probably be a while before the next break-"

She raised her hand to cut him off, smiling and shaking her head. "It's fine. She doesn't need me around, and if I'm here then she might have a relapse before the tear's finished working. It was me who was the core of the poison after all." She blinked. "Come to think of it, I wonder how that tear worked anyway...There is no known magic than can counter Firstborn magic other than that produced by another elf…"

He shrugged. "The water spirit's a special case. She's a deity after all, I bet her tear can counter any form of magic...though I'm not sure about void."

"I will ask Sheffield about it. She will know more than me." she answered, and blinked. "Actually, would you…"

He laughed. "Forget I heard that? Don't worry, my lips are sealed." He grinned as Casper made a comment in his mind. "I certainly don't know who Sheffield is."

The girl looked at him, before yawning, her eyes going half-lidded as she blinked slowly. "I just realized it's probably sunrise already...I'm so tired."

He nodded. "I should get some sleep too."

~~~3 Days Later~~~

Kirche groaned as she stretched, standing outside the carriage, where Tabitha and David already sat, ready to head out when the tanned girl was ready.

"You've got to invite me over again next time, it's so cool living in a castle!" the tramp said, laughing. "It's much nicer than the Anhalt-Zerbst mansion, that place feels so small compared to here! Move over, David, I want to sit next to you on the way back!"

David sighed at the loud girl, but scooted over anyway, setting his guitar case and Derf's sheath against the empty seat next to Tabitha.

"Goodbye!" called a voice, and they looked out, waving at the wheelchair-bound former Duchess de Orleans.

"Have fun with Casper!" David called, laughing as Georgia nodded, lowering her hand as the cloaked guard who'd driven them to the lake came to close the door to the cabin.

The woman stared at the three with her narrowed green eyes, the only feature visible under the multiple layers of clothing she wore to mask her features. "Am I to expect another pigeon halfway through again, David?" she asked.

David laughed. "If there is, feel free to catch it yourself, I told her not to message back." Of course, he'd said no such thing, but he doubted Sheffield would send another letter so soon, since she would probably be busy with reporting Georgia's miraculous healing.

The woman tsked, closing the cabin door with a slam as she walked to the driver's seat, grumbling the whole way as she took the reins.

An unlikable woman, David was glad that she hadn't showed up much in the actual castle. She seemed oddly familiar though...How many people did he know who hated pigeons?

The woman snapped the reins and the horses began moving, and David watched through the window as the estate disappeared behind them.

He doubted he'd be back here any time soon. Hopefully Georgia would be safe.

The ride would be less than a day getting back since their disgruntled driver could now take the shortcut that had been flooded by the lake before, a fact that the three welcomed. No one likes being stuck in a little box for several days, and between here and the Academy there weren't any good resting places.

He watched as they passed by the road to Tarbes, the mountain that held the airplane visible next to the town, and blinked as he noticed something on the lake nearby.

The water spirit, standing near the edge, not all that far away from the road they were on. She didn't seem to be looking for them, but she did wave as they passed by, and he smiled and waved back. After he did, she dove into the water and vanished.


	69. Goodbye

David knew without needing much thought that he was back in the dream. His host was sitting cross-legged on a rock, staring at his reflection in a body of water. It couldn't really be called a lake, more just a big pond, but he had a feeling this place held great significance to the first Mjöðvitnir.

The man was as he expected him to appear, his reflection clear in the water. Jet black hair jutting out in curled strands from under the boxy hat he wore, and a well-trimmed beard that clung closely to his chin. His face was hardened and scarred, but he couldn't have been older than in his 40s.

The runes on his forehead were easy to see in the water, though they weren't glowing, something David didn't expect. Did they not react when he was here?

He was dressed in a leather vest, covering a lavender shirt...and Vietnam-era camo pants. Well, don't question it too much, things like this were bound to happen if this was as far back as David thought it was.

The boy was about to say something to tell the man he was here, but he stopped himself when he realized the expression on Vidar's face.

His face was pulled down in a frown that stretched the scars, and his eyes were half-closed, looking downward apathetically at the water. What had happened? How long ago was their last meeting?

"I know you're here." the man said, and he was about to respond before he heard a female voice from behind them.

"Can't sneak up on you, can I?" she asked, laughing as she walked into view, her sandals sinking into the mud of the pond's edge. She was wearing a flowing white dress that reminded him of a toga, and he inwardly cringed at the thought of it getting muddy, but she didn't seem to care.

Her face wasn't as angled as that of the Gandalfr of the time, and her ears weren't pointed. A human. Her green hair was tied back in a ponytail, showing off her face. She looked Greek, which he assumed meant she was Romalian...or whatever existed in that region at this time. The runes on her right hand marked her as this generation's Vindalfr.

She frowned as Vidar turned to her, his movement almost painfully slow to his headmate. "Guess it hit you harder than it did me, huh?" she asked, smiling sadly and turning her head to prevent making eye contact with the Mjöðvitnir.

"Where is Sasha?" he asked, and David blinked in surprise. Was the man not censoring their names anymore?

At least it confirmed what this time period was...did that mean that that child from before was really the legendary Void mage?

The Vindalfr shook her head, looking behind them at the forest that grew almost right up to the water. "She wouldn't let me help, so she's preparing his body on her own."

...Body? Oh, no...David knew what was happening now, no wonder the air was so tense and depressing…

Vidar nodded, looking down at the water again. "What was it he called this place again, Freya?" he asked. "Lagdorian Lake?" He tched, picking up a rock in a calloused hand and tossing it, the stone making a thunk as it hit the water. "What a stupid name, this place is barely a pond."

Freya smiled, holding a fist to her mouth to stifle a giggle. "Even now, you're the same as you always are. I wish I could stay stoic through everything."

"Call it a bonus of Mjöðvitnir." he said, though the way he said 'bonus' made it clear he didn't appreciate his own personality.

They looked back as they heard shuffling, and Freya sighed as Sasha came forward, dragging a small bed made of logs behind her through a pair of ropes. On it was a bundle that was clearly the size of a human, making it immediately obvious what was inside.

The elf was wrecked by what had happened. David knew from the legend that she had been the one to wield Derf and kill him, but it was obvious with one look that it was not in the slightest the end she wanted. Her face was red, stains coming from her eyes where she'd clearly been crying, and she barely glanced at her two companions as she made her way to the water, not even slowing down as her bare feet touched the surface, walking as it if was ground.

The two watched as the log bed floated behind her, and she stopped several feet from shore, looking back at the bed, before kneeling to push it aside, letting it drift past her and into the deeper area of the pond.

She walked back to shore without a word, sitting down next to the two to watch the body of their master as it slowly floated away. "Vidar." she said, her voice hoarse, but otherwise monotone, her eyes hard as she stared at the cloth pile resting on the logs. "I can't do it. I can't let him sink."

Freya smiled, wrapping her left arm around the girl, who didn't defy the motion. "It wasn't your fault. None of us knew about the effects of the void, how could any of us have known it was taking his sanity?"

Vidar growled. "Don't speak like that of our master. He was fighting it even to the end." He looked at his rival, his expression softening as he saw her, now on the verge of tears himself. Seeing Brimir wrapped in cloth was too much even for the hard-shelled Mjöðvitnir, it seemed. "Where is Derflinger?"

Sasha looked up at him. "I tossed it. I don't want it anymore, it was what killed him after all…" She looked towards the lake, sighing as she crossed her arms, rubbing her skin to warm her, her short sleeves barely giving her any protection from the cool breeze passing across the water. David noticed that her runes glowed, both on her hand and through her shirt. "I don't care that it's part of me. I just want to stay here and wait."

"...Wait for what?" Vidar asked, and she laughed, a hollow sound void of any humor.

"I'll wait for Brimir to come back to me." she said, shaking her head. "And I won't leave here until he does." She turned to the man and smiled. "Can you take care of Henry and Bianca for me? I don't want them to ever know that their mom is a murderer."

Vidar blinked in surprise, and his expression darkened. "I can't convince you to come back with us, can I?" he asked, and without hesitating, the elf shook her head.

She turned to the girl next to her and smiled. "Freya, make sure you build that world you said you wanted to." she said. "A world where everyone knows of the Primogenitor's graces...I wish you luck."

As the two stood, she remained seated, now facing the water again. Freya, too, had developed tears, streaming down her face as Vidar fought to keep his own from showing.

The Vindalfr nodded. "I will." she said. "I'll use the piece of him in me and guide the world to salvation...No one will end up like him ever again."

"And I promise to raise your children to be the greatest rulers this world will ever know." Vidar said. "I won't tell them about their mother, but I will tell them about the power their father wielded."

Sasha smiled sadly, not looking at them. "Thank you, both of you. I don't know what I'd do if you two abandoned us…"

Vidar chuckled, patting the elf's head as Freya started to leave. "I'm doing this for your kids. I still hate your guts." he said, and she smiled.

"And I hate you too." she said. "Now get out of here before I knock you out again."

He laughed. "You and what sword?" he asked, but obeyed anyway, walking into the forest after the other member of their group, leaving the girl behind.

 _Is she really going to wait forever?_ David thought, and Vidar nodded,

"She is. That girl is more stubborn than an ox." he replied. "I hope that you've learned what you needed to here."

David was surprised at the tone, but nevertheless, he responded in kind. _I did, thank you for allowing me to see through you again...I'm sorry for your loss._

Vidar smirked. "It's your loss too, you know." he said, stopping in his tracks to retrieve the falchion from the forest floor, the golden handle glinting in his eyes. "I assume you'll be needing this." he said. "And it's best to let at least a part of her live on."

 _Hachiko Syndrome._ David thought. _She'll wait until she dies for him._

Vidar laughed, and without needing a reflection, he could tell the familiar's forehead runes were glowing, and he found himself being pushed away from the man's mind once again.

"I'm sure you have your own friends to return to." Vidar said. "Say hi to Sheffield for me."

 _I will. Thank you for having me._


	70. Guiche Returns!

**Happy July 4th to all my American readers!**

* * *

David was woken by Kirche pressing an elbow into his ribs, and he rubbed the spot as he looked around groggily.

They were already back at the academy? How long had he been sleeping? Had that dream lasted for that long?

When had he even gone to sleep? He remembered seeing the water spirit, but after that had been a blur. It must have been while they were still by the lake, then.

The carriage slowed as it came to the end of the path, rolling to a halt in front of the main tower of the complex. Tabitha left first, pushing open the door without bothering to wait for their driver to come around.

The Gallian stretched as she left the cramped quarters of the carriage, and in a few moments, Sylphid appeared, landing on the ground by her.

That reminded him, where had the rhythm dragon been the whole time they were there? He hadn't even seen her, or her human form, once while they were at Versailles, and she certainly hadn't followed them to the lake to talk with the spirit. Had she not gone? That wouldn't have made sense, she always stuck with Tabitha through everything.

"You just going to sit there?" Kirche asked, shifting to get out. "You really should get back to Louise as soon as possible or she'll have another meltdown."

He blinked, before laughing, strapping the guitar case, which now also housed Charlotte, as he now called the doll, to his back.

He'd been worried about renaming the doll with Tabitha's real name, but the girl had confirmed that she liked the idea of truly swapping their identities. She was Tabitha, and it was Charlotte.

He decided to hold Derf's sheath in one hand, not bothering to put it on his back like usual since he just needed to walk a straight line to the tower housing Louise's dorm room.

As his companions split off to go their own separate ways, he started to walk, before he was stopped by the voice of the driver, whose voice he still could have sworn he recognized.

"David, come here for a second." she said, and he blinked in confusion, walking to stand next to her, looking up at her from her position at the reins.

"Shouldn't you address Tabitha first?" he asked. "She's the Gallian after all."

A chuckle from the woman, who reached a gloved hand to pull down the scarf covering her lower face. "This stupid disguise is so stuffy." she complained, sighing and shaking her head, and he could see tufts of sandy hair sticking from below the cloth covering her head. "I'm not allied with Gallia, I was sent by the Princess to look after you. It seems her worries were unnecessary...not that I personally doubted you."

He blinked, before finally the woman's face clicked in his head. "Agn-"

He was cut off by her raising a hand. "Ah, ah, don't give me away, now." she said, before her face split into a smile. "I was watching the whole time, you know. You did better than I thought...as expected of Odekoron Knight." She held a fist out, and he smiled, returning the fist bump, before turning around to walk away.

Agnes watched him leave, smiling again, before covering her mouth with the scarf again and snapping the reins to turn the horses around, heading out of the academy gate.

David watched her leave, before suddenly, he drew Derf, tossing the sheath aside to give him a better range of motion even despite the large case on his back, and thanks to his quick reaction, he was unharmed as the bronze Valkyrie clattered to the ground, split in half down its waist.

"H-How did you see it?!" came the surprised voice of the easily-recognizable pretty boy Guiche de Gramont, staring from several yards away, and Derf laughed as David went to retrieve the sheath.

"My partner's powered by the Gandalfr. A simple attack like that won't be able to slip past him now that the runes are taking root." the sword said, and Guiche's face flushed at the unintentional insult to his skill.

David smiled, pressing the blade back into the sheath. "I also expected you to do something when I came back, I haven't seen you in so long you had to be planning something. Want me to kick your butt again in another duel, Guiche?" he asked, laughing.

The Earth mage stared, before smiling, flipping the front of his hair to the side in his usual posture, his rose wand held in one hand. "I would accept, but I was unfortunately told, at wandpoint, by your master that I'm not allowed to hurt you."

David grinned, his hand gripping Derf's handle as he threatened to unsheath him again, and the mage eeped, stepping back, sweatdropping and raising his hands, holding the rose between his thumb and index finger. "Now, now, I was just testing you, I knew you'd be able to catch that surprise attack!"

David stood still for several seconds, enjoying the fearful look on the boy's face, before laughing, lowering his stance and letting go of the sword's handle, holding the sheath in one arm. "I'm going to have to deal with Louise at some point, want to come be a buffer? I'd like someone with good defensive qualities to counter her explosions, and I know for a fact your earth dome is stronger than even Mrs. Chevreuse's."

Guiche blinked at the sudden change in tone, staring in confusion. "Are you...complimenting me?" he asked, flustered from the unexpected comment. "We are rivals, you can't do that!"

David laughed. "When did we become rivals, exactly? I fought you once, and back then I was still confused on why I was even in this world!"

Guiche's cheeks went redder, before he waved the rose in front of him. "I see you are underestimating me just because you beat me once! Fine, I will go with you, and prove that I am worth your time by protecting you from the Zero!"

 _So easy to manipulate, honestly…_ the familiar thought. _Still, he's definitely a formidable opponent if he fights seriously...A little pushing and he'll be a force to reckon with._

The thought of training a noble was a funny thought, especially since he himself was 'only' a familiar, but it still would be entertaining...and why not do some extra stuff in between the more important sections of the plan? It would be months before the solar eclipse he wanted and he didn't even have the Zero fighter yet, there was plenty of time to mess around.

The blond followed close behind as he continued walking, struggling to hold in a laugh at the boy's eager expression. Easily manipulated, yes, but when Guiche wanted something, he'd do anything to accomplish it. Having him wanting to get on David's good side could only be beneficial.


	71. Home Sweet Straw

David sighed, holding a hand to his chest as he stood in front of the door, mentally preparing himself to go in. It had been less than a week since he'd last been here, but it felt like much longer thanks to all that had happened, and knowing how the crazed girl could be, he had a feeling that she hadn't done well without her familiar.

He looked beside him, where Guiche stood, rose at the ready, and sighed again, before raising his hand to knock on the door, before turning the knob and opening it, holding his breath in preparation…

He let out a breath of relief as he found the room missing the pinkette, but blinked in surprise as he saw the Japanese maid standing there, a duster in one hand, clearing off the small table in the middle of the room.

Siesta blinked s the door opened, before her face split into a grin, laughing as she quickly walked across the room to them, the duster left lying on the table. "David, you're back!" she said, and he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. If he'd gone the anime route, seeing her would no doubt be pretty awkward considering the whole hot tub situation...he wondered what Louise had been doing for the week since she'd had no issue with any love potion.

...Come to think of it, did that mean Guiche had been affected by it? He didn't seem as obsessive as Louise did when she'd accidentally taken it...

"Yeah, sorry I kind of left without warning...How's Louise been? Specifically, are Guiche's defenses strong enough to protect me from her?"

The blond blinked at the confused look on Siesta's face, before she laughed, holding her hands together in front of her.

"She's mad, but not that mad. Considering how she usually acts around you, I bet she'll just give you the silent treatment for a while."

David laughed at the expression. It was a casual term that he rarely heard Siesta use considering how formal she was usually required to speak to the nobles around the campus, but around him, she had no such worries since it was clear that he simply didn't care how people talked or acted. As for Guiche being around...nobody really paid him much attention anyway, and he barely spoke formally himself despite how hard he tried to sound important.

"Where even is she? Classes haven't started yet, have they?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"No, they're supposed to start tomorrow, I think. I don't know where she is though, I came by after she'd already gone. I'm sure she's safe though, probably just letting off steam like she usually does."

He nodded, and Siesta stepped aside to let him walk in, setting his possessions down on the straw that he'd almost forgotten about after so long without being in the room, from both the mission in Tristain's capital, Tristania, and the Versailles trip. Great, this would be really uncomfortable getting used to again.

He looked over at Guiche, who awkwardly walked in, sitting on a small couch that seemed to be new, making the already cramped room seem even smaller. "Come to think of it, you've never been in here, have you?" he asked the blond, who blinked, looking at him.

"Uhh...Well, nobody wants to be around Louise too much, so no, I haven't...I visited just before you returned, but other than that, I'd never even seen the inside. It's pretty...normal." He laughed, his voice oddly lacking his usual arrogant tone. Was he really that uncomfortable here? "Well, I bet a peasant like you wouldn't think it is, but it's quite small for a noble's room."

Siesta smiled, going back to her dusting as she listened to them. "But isn't your room also a center one, Master Gramont?" she asked, a hint of sarcasm in her voice, and the boy's face went red in embarrassment. "In fact, I believe yours is so poorly laid out that it feels even more claustrophobic."

"H-hey!" the boy said, and David laughed.

"I guess there's no need for protection yet." the Gandalfr said. "So you don't really need to be here, Guiche."

Guiche blinked, before sighing and crossing his arms, his rose vanishing into his shirt, presumably into a pocket hidden inside. "When a noble makes a promise, they go through with it...usually. There are exceptions like Mott, but I like to consider myself among the honest ones. I promised I'd protect you, and so I'll stay until she actually comes. I apologize for the intrusion."

David blinked at the oddly formal apology, before grinning. "Hey, don't be sorry, it's fine by me, I know you of all people put honor pretty high up."

Guiche smiled. "I do indeed." he said, flipping his hair in his usual pose, though he remained seated. "And as you managed to defeat me once, I must follow until I've regained my status, and this is the perfect way to do that."

David laughed. "It sounds to me like you think it was a fluke that I won...maybe we should do a round 2 once I'm back in favor with Louise!"

Siesta smiled, standing still now that she'd finished her dusting, still listening in on the conversation. "Last time, it seemed to really bring everyone together, I don't think the school would be nearly as lively if you hadn't. Perhaps with an actual planned event, it'll have the same effect!" she said, laughing. "I can mention it to the staff, since I was granted the right to speak with Principal Osmond over the break!"

David blinked. "You were?" he asked, and she blinked, before laughing.

"That's right, you weren't here so you didn't hear about it...The new messenger to replace Mott was finally decided, and in his first message, a letter from Queen Marianne was included requesting that I be put specifically under Louise's charge...So while I still technically work here, I'm now given power over that of the other commoner staff here!"

David blinked. Why had the queen done that? Was she aware that Henrietta was indirectly involved in the resolution of the Mott scandal?

Guiche was just as confused, staring blankly at the girl for several seconds. "Why were you of all people given special privileges?!" he asked, his voice slightly raising as it often did when he was confused. "Did Louise buy you or something?"

Siesta grinned at him, holding her hands to her hips. "Maybe I'm just special!" she said, laughing, before tapping her chin and looking up at the ceiling. "Well, I'd better get going. I'll mention the duel to Osmond, and I'll let you convince Louise!"

David groaned. "First I have to convince her not to get mad that I left so suddenly, now I have to convince her to let me battle Guiche again...what a nightmare this will be."


	72. Count Thrak

It wasn't until late that Louise finally came to the room, coming across the odd sight of David, sitting on his straw, playing his guitar as a quiet Guiche still sat in the same place, the blond's head tilted to the side, his eyes closed and mouth slightly open as he lightly slept.

"...What is going on here?" she asked, her voice oddly neutral despite her clear surprise at her familiar appearing without warning, and the boy's hands left the strings, the sound of the light notes of Oracion cutting off as he looked at her, before smiling and holding a finger to his mouth.

"He's sleeping, don't be too loud." he said, chuckling. "He wouldn't leave me alone, so I let him in...sorry if that's a problem."

She blinked, looking between him and the Earth mage, before sighing. "I can't control anything you do anyway, why should I even try at this point?" she asked, huffing as she walked between them, sitting heavily on her bed and lying on her side, facing away from him. "How was your trip? Bet it was fun without me." she said, yawning.

David sighed, setting his guitar back in its case. "Stuff happened, but you didn't really miss out. I stayed away from Kirche, don't worry." he replied, and she waved her hand in response, going quiet for several seconds, before turning in the bed to face him.

Her expression caught his attention quickly, and he blinked and tilted his head, staring at her as she looked at him with an oddly muted face. She looked...tired, and he could tell it wasn't just because it was late, her voice lacking her usual permanent sourness.

"I trust you, you know." she said quietly, looking at him with her eyes half-lidded, part of her pupils hidden under the eyelids. "I knew you wouldn't abandon me, even though you didn't fight it when Tabitha made you go...I knew you'd come back…"

He blinked, unsure how to respond, but he couldn't get a word in edgewise before she continued. "I know, you're my familiar, but I'm not your master...I can't control you, I can't tell you not to do things I don't like you doing, but…" He waited for her to continue, but her eyes slowly closed and her breathing slowed, and he realized she'd fallen asleep.

"Just like at the inn, isn't it?" Derf asked, and David sighed, lying down on the uncomfortable straw.

"You read my mind, partner." he said, smiling as he too let himself drift off to sleep, leaving the sword to think to itself as the room went quiet but for the sounds of three people breathing softly.

The sword chuckled. "No one can plan for everything...I hope you do well, partner. Both in battle and in domestics." it said, before closing itself up and leaving the room in total silence.

~~~The next day~~~

Louise grumbled as she sat in the assembly situated in the front commons, the same area where all the students had sat during the Familiar Exhibition, though this time, there were no guards or Henrietta nearby...though David, from his higher vantage point sitting atop Sylphid's back with the other familiars, did notice Cheri, who seemed to be fully recovered and back in action, pointing him out to someone standing next to him.

He blinked at the person's odd appearance. At least 7 feet tall, dwarfing the knight, and the man's body was a dark olive green, covered by a sparsely decorated brown tunic. His face was monstrous, with large upward-facing teeth on the underbite of his jaw...clearly an orc, who he hadn't even realized were an actual species here. The only time they ever appeared in the canon was during the Battle of 70,000, and he'd assumed they were only for dramatic effect…

"Aren't orcs supposed to be beasts?" he asked aloud, though to no one in particular, and ducked as he felt something fly past his face...an explosive spell, courtesy of the pinkette sitting near him.

"Don't be racist!" she said. "They're just like anyone else, and he's a famous Count!" Her voice was filled with irritation, but she was cut off by the orc coughing into a large fist on the stage in front of them.

"I don't particularly mind those who harbor prejudices against my kind." the green giant said, smiling, and the look was oddly innocent on his odd face, his sunken black eyes blinking a few times as he spoke. "And for someone not of this world, it is understandable that he'd see me as an enemy...I fully acknowledge my appearance after all. My race are rare in this world, I imagine we are even more so in his."

Cheri clapped once, the sound of metal ringing as her gauntlets came together catching the attention of anyone not already watching the man, and he nodded, crossing his arms, his tunic swaying with the movement.

"Right, familiars aside, I'm sure most of you are wondering what I'm doing here." he said. "I am Count Thrak do'kul Kuwi, and I was chosen by the royal family to take over the position formerly held by ex-Count Mott. It is a pleasure to meet you all, it's nice to see younger people learning to advance themselves."

Judging from the general reactions from the students and staff, the orc was some sort of bigshot, yet he'd never heard of him, whether from the canon or from his messages with Henrietta...He hadn't even known that orcs lived in Tristain, he'd thought they were exclusive to Albion. He glanced down at his mount, and Sylphid glanced back, but she simply shrugged before going back to watching the man speak.

"Most of you are likely unaware of the true situation concerning Mott's arrest, or why his execution has been delayed, and it is certainly unprecedented for a Count active in Guldendorf to suddenly be appointed to the academy. As my first message to the entire student body, I will explain that all of these are centered around a single person, known as New Divide."

The crowd mumbled as David blinked, holding his finger to bite the digit and keep himself from cursing aloud. What was Henrietta doing, exposing that secret? He hadn't told her to do that, and surely she was smart enough to realize the danger of doing so!

Thrak continued speaking, and David listened intently, ignoring the look Sylphid gave him, her right eye changing color and shape to a more humanoid appearance as within the crowd, Tabitha tapped her staff on the ground to complete the familiar senses-sharing spell.

"New Divide's identity and appearance has not been disclosed, and likely will never be told outright. The royal family has elected to keep his identity a secret, but they have instructed me to provide you enough information to know what we are dealing with. I'm sure most of you know about the Reconquista's efforts to take Albion currently."

Cheri stood up next to him, her expression much more serious than any other time David had seen her, but he was less interested in her and more in what the orc was saying...this affected him as much as everyone else, obviously.

"What does the Reconquista have to do with some spy?" came Montmorency's voice from the crowd, and David couldn't help but chuckle. It was always her interrupting, wasn't it?

Thrak looked over the crowd, but, unable to find her, quickly lost interest and returned to simply looking over everyone. "New Divide is focusing their efforts on the organization, discovering everything they can about it in order to prevent a potential attack on Tristain...The royal family have a neutral stance on the civil war in Albion, but defending against a possible attack is important. I was instructed to tell you all about this because it is predicted that the war will take a turn soon, and so revealing the existence of this spy is important...you, all of you, are instructed to freely gossip about any possible information any of you, particularly those whose families live in or are connected to the floating continent, may have."

"Why would talking about it help this guy?" Kirche shouted, and he nodded.

"Because he has strong ties to the academy, apparently. If information is spread here, then he is sure to hear it...at least, according to Princess Henrietta, who is the designated liaison between the family and New Divide."

David sighed, scratching his head when he was sure that nobody was looking, though naturally he didn't bother looking down at Sylphid.

So that was what this was about. Henrietta wasn't being sloppy and reckless by revealing him, at least by that name, she had a plan of her own. He could tell that behind Thrak's words was a secondary message, directed at him.

Things weren't going to be this peaceful forever. He had a short break, but once it was over, it as time to get serious.


	73. Hyping Up the Duel

"David, hi!" called the knight as the crowd dispersed, and he blinked as he jumped off Sylphid, whose eye had returned to normal.

"Been a while, hasn't it?" he asked, smiling. "I see you're doing better now, Cheri."

The knight grinned, her serious tone from before melting into the excited nature he remembered seeing during the Fouquet mission, and she held a hand in a fist, beating it once against her breastplate. "Better than ever, I just needed a little rest and some bandages and I was good to go! Now, I'm back at it and getting sent on more missions."

David laughed at the statement. "I can totally believe it from you. How did Agnes react to her favorite knight being knocked out of commission?"

Cheri laughed as Louise walked to them, notably standing closer than usual to David as she glared at the musketeer. "Captain Agnes has been running me ragged after that, I've almost had no free time at all since I recovered!" Her smile turned to a mischievous grin as she moved forward to nudge his side with the elbow of her armor. "But enough about me, I hear you've been pretty active lately too...How was Gallia?"

"It was fun, but I'm glad I'm back...it was weird not being around Louise all the time." he replied, laughing at the tinge of red that formed in the void mage's cheeks. "Anyway, that whole thing about New Divide...it's pretty bizarre, isn't it? I mean, announcing it to the whole school's just going to end up giving spies a chance to spread false information, isn't it?" A very real concern he had over the plan, but he did trust that Henrietta had accounted for that...Hopefully it wasn't simply that she thought him able to plan everything.

Cheri blinked, looking up at the sky as she tapped her chin. "I think that was the intention." she finally replied. "This New Divide guy seems to already be aware of the situation, so I bet the royal family believe he can find spies based on who spreads false information on purpose...Kind of a double spy thing, I guess? I don't really get it, the Musketeer Squad don't deal with espionage so I've never really had the chance to research it."

"That's stupid, they should have just kept it hidden and stopped a major risk of a big error." Louise said, and David was about to respond before the crowd stopped moving away as Osmond's voice rang over the field.

"Well, now that we finally have a messenger, it seems there is other news, concerning our resident familiar." the old man said, and a few groups whispered amongst themselves. "There will be a rematch duel between him and Guiche at noon, sanctioned by me and judged by…" The principal looked around, before his eyes closed in a smile. "Mr. Colbert, are you busy currently?"

Colbert, who David had nearly forgotten existed, smiled, nodding and tapping his red-ringed staff on the ground. "I suppose if there is going to be a duel, I should be there to make sure no one gets hurt...as both combatants have certainly gotten stronger since the last time." He coughed into his free hand and smiled at Guiche, who as usual stood boastfully as the crowd around him fawned over the decision, as expected, while Louise seethed next to David.

"You decided to duel him again…" she said, her voice filled with a clear angry tone. "After last time, when you were passed out for three days…"

David smiled, patting her head with a hand. "Don't worry. Things are different now, I'm not going to just blindly swing at him, and this time I can go all out from the beginning. I'll be fine, you don't need to waste your money on any more healing potions. If I do exhaust myself, that's my fault, not yours."

Cheri crossed her arms, her grin splitting her face. "Well, I for one am interested. I hear that the de Gramont family specialize in earth magic, and I'd like to see what you can do. I've seen you fight only once, but I must admit I was impressed...Too bad Captain Agnes isn't here, she always enjoys a good duel."

David looked at Louise, who seemed oddly calm now that his hand was on her head. It reminded him of a cat, angry until she felt secure, and he knew she felt safe around him despite her increasing difficulty with actually admitting it.

"It's all been hyped up now, I can't very well reject, can I?" he asked, laughing. He'd been the one to suggest it in the first place, but she'd get the point.

The short girl glared silently up at him for several seconds, before sighing and crossing her arms, closing her eyes in irritation. "Fine, I know I can't stop you anyway...Just don't die or I'll kill you myself."

He laughed, patting her head before walking up to where Guiche stood, the blond watching him with a smile. "Well, what say you we finally settle this rivalry like men?" the boy asked, flipping his hair as he always did, to which David responded by raising a particular finger, the confused reaction from his self-titled rival more than enough to make up for his concern over the New Divide reveal.

"I don't remember ever finding you worth being called my rival!" the Gandalfr replied, laughing as Guiche's face hardened from the taunt. "So you'd better prove to me that you're worth me noticing!"

"Noon is in an hour, so you'd better be prepared once morning class ends!" the boy said, procuring his rose and pointing it at him, his normal annoying smile playing on his face. "We didn't face off when you wielded Derf before, did we? Let's find out if he's a better or worse companion than that sword I gave you out of pity!"


	74. Round Two

Noon came quickly, and as promised, David was at the designated spot...the patch of ground where they'd had their first duel, way back when he'd first come here. It seemed like forever after all that had already happened, but he knew it was hardly any time at all. Beside him stood Colbert, who, teaming with Cheri, were keeping the crowd collecting around back away from the area, while Louise stood behind her familiar and Montmorency was behind her boyfriend. There was no sign of Tabitha or Kirche anywhere, so they'd probably decided to skip out on it, though even Siesta had turned up, from a quick glance at the heads...It was funny that in the sea of colorful hair, the one black-haired girl was easiest to find.

At the other side of the field, Guiche was posing as usual, his rose in hand as Colbert went over the rules, mostly stuff that was pretty obvious. No breaking bones, no killing, Guiche couldn't aim his Valkyries for below the belt strikes, and David had to use the back of Derf's blade if he got within range of the mage.

"Well, now that we've established the rules, this is the last chance for either contestant to back down." Colbert said, though neither responded, the two staring each other down, and he sighed, raising his staff before tapping it on the ground. "Then, begin."

David drew Derf as quickly as Guiche waved his rose, his runes glowing as he met the first Valkyrie with a swift slice to its thin stomach, and where it fell, two more took its place, forming from the halves of the first.

David blinked in surprise as he took them out, noting that they too split into two, rising from the ground again, the four new golems moving to circle him as he looked around, holding Derf steady in his hand.

"Replication...That's a new one." he said, and Guiche smirked at the statement.

"I haven't just been playing around the last few months. My loss last time reminded me that I should take my magic seriously, and now I can show you the fruit of that training. Ah, it's like the flower of my magic has blossomed!"

 _More like you figured out how to automate instead of just waving your wand around all the time._ David thought as he changed his strategy, now trying to shear the arm from one of the bronze beings rather than flat-out bifurcating it.

Doing so didn't help, it just served to hurt his arm, and the effect was the same. He heard someone in the crowd commenting on his wild swing, something he normally wouldn't do as Gandalfr, but these weren't people, they were hollow, so a precise cut wasn't necessary...Besides, Derf's blade wasn't intended for slicing, it was a falchion, a blade meant for hacking, so these wild swings were more fitting to its style.

"You're not going to be able to win, my Valkyries will eventually engulf you!" Guiche said over the clang of another golem's arm being shorn off. The blond mage hadn't moved from his spot, a confident smile on his face. "You're smart and a good fighter, I'll give you that, but that's not enough to beat sheer numbers!"

 _How about dealing with 70,000 fully armed knights instead of a handful of these things?_ He thought, before blinking, stopping in place and choosing instead to focus entirely on defense, holding Derf in both hands in front of him to defend against any attempted attacks.

Replication was a cheap trick, but he knew from the many times he'd seen it in anime that it came with a massive downfall.

Now that he was standing still and able to defend more or less on autopilot, he could better focus on Guiche rather than the golems he had conjured.

The boy's smile was confident, but he was developing beads of sweat on his forehead, confirming his suspicion.

Yes, self-replication was overpowered, but it came with a very high energy cost, and for Guiche, who was still a dot mage, that cost was great enough to be obvious in his movements.

He wasn't standing still out of arrogance, he was standing still because moving would break his concentration. It was a good strategy for a duel, but if this were an actual fight, he'd be dead by now.

David grinned, lowering his sword, and now instead focused on diving to avoid the Valkyries' attempts to hit him. He was certainly faster now, avoiding them easily when the first time he'd likely be beaten to the ground by now. As it was, all the hits had landed on his sword or the air as he made his way out of the small crowd formed out of the golems now, heading toward Guiche.

His opponent's eyes widened, before he grinned, raising his wand as the Valkyries collapsed, returned to the soil as he took their magic away. "I'm not falling for that again!" he said, letting another petal drop, and as it hit, the ground erupted from in front of him, revealing another golem.

Right away, he could tell that this wasn't a normal one. For one thing, it wasn't a short, thin angelic style like the Valkyries, it was taller than he was, and clearly built to take hits...It reminded him of the one golem master in season 4 whose name he'd completely forgotten.

He raised Derf again as the golem stared down at him with the hollow white eyes that all of Guiche's creations had, lifting a large stone axe that had formed along with it.

Definitely a tank. Not something he expected from the usual glass cannons he usually summoned.

Guiche grinned from the safety of the area behind the golem. "See, I have more tricks than just that!" he said.

"Partner." Derf said, and David nodded.

"I know." he told the sword, before lowering it, the tip touching the ground, much to the playboy's confusion.

"Why did you stop? Giving up?" he asked, though he wasn't smiling, his mouth turned down in his confusion.

David shook his head, stretching his shoulders as he sighed. "No, but you might as well...This thing's not going to move anywhere." To demonstrate, he tapped the golem's chest with his free hand, and under his knuckles, the metal crumbled into dirt, much to his opponent's surprise.

"W-What…"

David laughed as the golem slowly collapsed, leaving just a pile of earth between the two. "You ran out of magic power. Replicating takes twice the energy each time, and you weren't paying attention to how many you were creating...So you ran out, simple as that." He raised Derf, pointing the back of the blade at the stunned Guiche's neck and grinning. "I win again."

Guiche stared for several seconds, before closing his eyes and smiling, his rose disappearing into his cloak. "I admit defeat, you win." he said. "Just as I'd expect from my rival."


	75. A Siesta Fiesta

The Tristain Magic Academy loved their feasts, and today was no exception. Like the day of the first duel, there was an outdoor spread, evidently already prepared beforehand by the staff...No wonder Siesta had been there for the duel, they must have already set everything up for lunch without him realizing.

Now, he wandered around the tables, carrying a plate of various small foods he wanted to try. Having not been here in a while, and before then he'd mostly relied on Marteau's leftovers.

Now, he was mostly alone, save for the dragon and salamander following close behind - Sylphid had been extra clingy since he'd gotten back, and Flame seemed to have a penchant for the crumbs of sourdough bread he tossed to the familiar.

It was no doubt a funny sight having a procession of reptiles following along, but he didn't mind, and they were both careful not to knock anything or anyone over, so he didn't question it, occasionally stopping to rub a hand across the rhythm dragon's snout, a motion she seemed to have missed.

"Sorry, girl. Should have showed up while we were in Versailles, you know I don't mind petting you when you want me to." he said, smiling as Sylphid cooed, pushing her head into his hand as he laughed, shifting to keep his balance as the large flame lizard wrapped his tail around his legs.

"I see you're as friendly with them as ever." came a familiar voice, and he turned his attention, continuing to rub Sylphid's head as he smiled at the two newcomers.

"Yo, Siesta. I never did get a chance to really say hi since coming back." he said, and waved with his free hand to her companion. "And, Kelly, right? Haven't seen you since the Ball of Frigg, I hope you're well."

The brunette blinked, before laughing hesitantly and waving a hand idly. "No, no, I was kind of intentionally avoiding you, and then you disappeared for a while, so I figured I shouldn't get in your way. I'm sure you're pretty busy with the Zero as a master after all."

David laughed, turning his focus back to Sylphid as she nudged his hand to get him to continue petting her. "I can't really speak for everyone when I say this, but I don't think Louise is a zero at all. She's a real powerhouse, it's just that she focuses too much on attempting new spells rather than strengthening the one she's mastered. Explosions may not be the most versatile, but they're close to impossible to block and if she was really trying, she could wipe the floor with most students here. Besides, what's a fireball but an explosion of energy? The concept's the same, it's just the element that isn't."

Kelly looked doubtful, and glanced to the side at a clearly embarrassed Louise, who quickly backed away before David could realize she'd even been there, but Siesta simply smiled. "I wasn't aware you put so much stock into her abilities, you always seemed the type to doubt everyone." she said, and he grinned.

"You're right, I do doubt people a lot...But with good reason. I'm not from this world, I don't give a crap about honor or glory or any of that nonsense. If someone's going to have my respect, they need to earn it. Heck, I wouldn't even bow to a king if he didn't seem worth the title." A slightly dangerous statement to make since that's exactly what he did back when he and Louise met Henri, but still, completely true.

Siesta giggled, holding a finger to her mouth to enunciate the sound. "I can believe it, and now that I'm officially Louise's personal maid, I'm sure we'll be around each other more often...I'd like to see that determination you had in the duel more often."

David laughed, waving off the statement. "I barely did anything but counter and dodge, if I had even tried to go on the offensive I wouldn't have gotten out unscathed. It was just luck that Guiche still hasn't learned to conserve his energy, he could have easily swamped me if he did."

"I wouldn't shortchange yourself, David de Wilson." came the low, rumbling voice of the new messenger, and David looked up at the towering form of the green-skinned Count Thrak, who stood smiling down at him with Cheri by his side. "That was a good battle, I haven't seen someone with your skill with a sword in a long time. Guldendorf has somewhat lessened in militaristic power in recent years."

David smiled at the man, nodding as he lowered his arm from Sylphid's snout to show off his runes. "Thanks, but it's not just my own power, it's using these. I've still got a long way to go before I can match anyone without a real weapon."

Cheri grinned, reaching a fist covered in her gauntlet to lightly tap at his shoulder, though considering how he flinched, the love tap was clearly more painful than it seemed...Cheri was still a bit unaware of her strength, clearly. "I didn't get to see much back in the Fouquet mission, but that worthless piece of junk seemed pretty good in your hands. You'd be a good member of the Musketeer Squad if you weren't male."

"Who are you calling a worthless piece of junk?!" complained Derf as it popped from its sheath, and David sighed, a hand going to his forehead.

"She meant the ornamental one." he said, and Cheri chuckled, closing her eyes to smile at the sword, not even reacting to how it had spoken.

"You must be the intelligent sword Derflinger." she said. "Professor Colbert has mentioned you, evidently you being rediscovered has caused quite the commotion among the scientific and historical community. I'm not much for archaeology, but as a warrior I can respect your legacy. It is good to meet you, I hope you do well as David's partner."

The two pieces of Derf's 'mouth' clanked together a few times at the compliment. "I plan to whip this Gandalfr into shape, I won't have another weak one. The last few before I went under weren't exactly the best, I want to make up for lost time with one able to take this world by storm...I believe this boy will be the one to do that."

Cheri smiled, and Thrak laughed, a hearty booming sound that practically shook the ground under the orc's feet. "I'd like to see that! Well, now your weapon has hyped you up, you'd better not slack off and disappoint it!" he said, before turning around. "Well, it's about time I headed home, I've got a wife who'll get mad at me if I stay too long after all, and I've still got to move in to Mott's old place. I never trusted the guy, but you have to admit his choice of location was pretty good."

David smiled as Siesta bowed to the man instinctively. "Have a safe trip!" she said, and he waved as Cheri stretched her arms.

"Well, I'm the leader of his guard detail, so I've got to head out too. Hey, David." He turned to face her, having gone back to petting the insistent dragon in front of him, and she held a fist out in front of her, grinning as a determined expression crossed her eyes. "Before you become a noble, I want to duel you. After seeing you fight that boy, I'm fired up and I want to test your mettle against a real soldier."

David blinked, before grinning, raising his right hand, but didn't complete the fist bump just yet, his own look of determination boring into hers. "Very well then. We'll make a bet, shall we?"

"Name your conditions."

His grin widened as he held his left hand up in a fist. Thinking for a second over what he assumed Isabella would do in such a situation, he made a decision. "You said before I become a noble, so...The winner gets to pick the loser's runic name."

Cheri blinked, before her own grin widened as she laughed. "I see, a high-stakes wager worthy of Isabella de Martel." So she knew the name as well, he should have known back when he met her who she was. "Very well, I will make that bet, on my honor as a Musketeer Squad soldier." Their fists met, and both of them laughed as they sealed the deal.


	76. Siesta Sasaki

**The Great American Solar Eclipse is coming and I'm in a prime location! Too bad I don't have a plane to fly into it! How many of you are going to be seeing it on Monday?**

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"Oh, Montmorency!" came Guiche's usual statement as he chased the girl, who angrily walked along the edge of the food tables as David and Siesta passed by, heading back to Louise's room. David had to stop to keep from getting bowled over by the noble, though as Siesta bumped into him he nearly fell over, only stopped by Sylphid catching the hood of his sweater in her beak, pulling him back and out of the way.

The Gandalfr watched as the arrogant boy ran past, and briefly wondered what girl had sparked Montmorency's anger this time...Seriously, the blond was probably exhausted from using up his willpower in the fight, and yet he was already chasing other girls.

 _Never change, Guiche. You're just too entertaining._ he thought, smirking before turning around to face Sylphid. "Well, we're heading back in. Say hi to Tabitha for me, I'm going to take a nap…" He didn't show it outwardly, but he was tired too. It had taken all his concentration to not be hit by any of those Valkyries, he was certainly not at top condition right now.

Sylphid cooed unhappily, but still nodded and turned around to walk back through the crowd, evidently still not registering that she was a big animal and easily knocked things over.

He watched her lumbering away, before turning around, sighing as he crossed his arms. "You don't have any more work to do?" he asked his companion as they headed inside of the tower.

Siesta shook her head. "I do, but not until later...I won't bother you while you're sleeping though, don't worry!" she said, smiling as he chuckled to himself.

"You know, I feel kind of guilty for not talking to you much." he said, and she tilted her head questioningly. "You're a good person, and I really haven't been intentionally avoiding you…"

She blinked, before waving her hand and laughing. "Oh, it's no problem. You're more important than I am, it makes sense that you'd be off doing other things instead of paying attention to some random maid. If anything, it's good that you haven't had time for me. Idle hands are the devil's playthings, isn't that right?"

He smiled at the statement. "It's been a long time since I heard that expression, I didn't know this world had a concept of a devil."

She smiled. "Well...It doesn't, not really. It was an expression taught to me by my grandfather...Apparently he came from your world as well."

He wasn't surprised, but he acted as if he was. "Wait, really? You mean, I'm not the only one?"

She smiled, nodding as they started up the stairway. "Supposedly he rode a dragon through the sky...I've never seen it though, but my father has. My grandfather's name was Takeo Sasaki, do you recognize it?"

He laughed. "I wouldn't know the name of one person out of the billions on my world, but I'll try to remember it." It was true, he had totally forgotten the man's name. "So is that your last name then. Sasaki?"

She nodded. "Apparently those from your world don't use the 'de' connector, so my name is just Siesta Sasaki."

He nodded. "Right, and mine is just David Wilson, even though everyone calls me 'de Wilson'. I can at least recognize your grandfather's country thanks to his name. Japan, right?" He shook his head. "Well, I'm guessing he used the Japanese name for it. Nihon or Nippon."

She nodded. "He said that it was called Nippon, yes. Apparently they had many dragons there, and his now lives in a temple near the village."

He smiled, shaking his head. "I think I know what you're talking about, but it's not a dragon...It's something called an airplane. They're pretty common on Earth, but they're not usually used by civilians...Usually they're military or commercial. How long ago did he come here?"

She tapped her chin in thought. "About...70 years? Grandfather died a long time ago."

He nodded. "Let's see...If it's matching with Earth's time, then he was a World War II soldier. Definitely a fighter plane, though I don't know what kind. Maybe I'll check it out if I ever go to your hometown."

She smiled. "I'd like that, I think my family would like you, especially with that crazy universal translation thing Louise put on you."

He grinned sheepishly. "It's come in handy before, being able to speak Japanese will be nice. Are you able to speak it?"

She smiled, holding her arms in front of her and tilting her head as she closed her eyes in a pose very reminiscent of most recent anime. "Hai, watashi wa nihongo wo hanashimasu." she replied, and he grinned.

"Could be a secret code when Louise is around, huh?" he asked as he turned to open the door to Louise's dorm, and she giggled in response.

"Perhaps, it would be quite funny, that's for sure." she said.

He nodded, and was about to respond when he froze where he stood, looking into the room with confusion.

"Uhh...Hey, Tabitha." he said, looking at the girl in confusion, and she jumped, turning around to stare at him in surprise. Oddly, she didn't have her staff with her, and rather than her usual uniform, she was wearing an odd brown cloak, which looked notably worn around the edges.

The Gallian blinked, before standing straight, her arms hanging at her side, though one hand was hidden under the sleeve of her cloak. "David." she said, the surprise on her face quickly shifting back to her normal neutral tone. "Hello. It is good to see you."

He smiled, though he was still confused on why she was here, though he didn't question her choice of dress...Tabitha did things at her own pace, nobody could understand the inner workings of her mind. "What are you doing here? Sylphid's been all clingy, you should go to her."

She smiled, shaking her head. "She will be alright, I fed and played with her earlier. I think she enjoyed watching your duel."

He nodded. "Where were you? I didn't see you or Kirche anywhere."

"I was watching too, from the tower." she replied. "I don't like crowds…" She glanced at Siesta, before sighing. "Well, I must return. Perhaps I will check on Sylphid as you suggested."

He nodded, and he and SIesta stood aside to let her pass, and she closed the door behind her with a small wind spell as she left.

He blinked. "I thought she stopped talking so formally...Guess being back's brought her back to the ground, huh?" he asked, and Siesta simply smiled, unsure how to answer the rhetorical question.


	77. Quoth the Crow, 'David friend'

Thought of Tabitha's odd appearance aside, David was all for heading straight to Louise's bed to sleep, he knew she wouldn't be back for a while since the nobles still had classes, but he was stopped as he got into an impromptu staredown with a large crow, sitting on a bedpost watching him.

The crow was bigger than those of Earth, though perhaps they simply were a different species. One glance told him though that this one was a lot more intelligent than the birds he was used to, even ignoring the mannaz rune carved into its beak.

Sheffield had a variety of tricks, it seemed.

Siesta stood by, unsure if she should get involved, before the crow extended its wings, flapping to get in the air before landing on his shoulder, twitching its head in the jerky motions birds used and holding its head sideways to stare into his eyes with one of its own.

"Er...Hello. Are you a messenger?" he asked the bird, which didn't respond, simply cocking its head and jerking its neck to glance at Siesta, and after deciding she wasn't worth its attention, it turned back to look at him.

He raised his hands to show he had nothing in his hands. "I don't have any food for you…" he said. And it wasn't carrying any message papers. Was Sheffield watching him through this crow?

That was worrisome if it was true, it would mean she'd know who he was. Well, if that was the case...He had no choice but to modify his plan to include her. Ignoring someone like Sheffield was too dangerous now, he'd have to somehow convince her to either join or at least not tell Joseph about him...both of which were difficult tasks.

The crow tilted its head again, before, to both of the room's resident's surprise, it opened its beak and spoke. "Not hungry."

David's eyes widened, and he visibly jolted, enough that the bird jumped off his shoulder to rest on the bedpost again, spinning around with several exaggerated motions of its spindly legs before looking at him again.

"Sent by Sheffield. Crow is friend. Give crow name!" it said, and he blinked several times, before kneeling to a knee so he could sit at eye level with it, peering at it in confusion.

Well, if Sheffield was using it to spy on him, it meant she already knew what he looked and sounded like, and since it was Sheffield, he knew there was no point claiming he wasn't the one the bird was looking for. Instead, he gave in, smiling at the bird.

"Your name is Nevermore." he said. A fitting name, even if it wasn't a raven. Seriously, how could he pass up the reference?

The bird ruffled its feathers at the name, jerking its head in a strange effort at a nod. "Nevermore, Nevermore. Nevermore is I." It flapped its wings a few times, but didn't jump off the bedpost. "Nevermore is crow's name. What friend's name?"

David smiled. How much of this bird's quirkiness was normal and how much was due to its intelligence he didn't know. "David. It's nice to meet you, Nevermore."

Siesta made to step forward, but stopped in her tracks as it turned its head to face her and cawked loudly, startling her.

"Er...I'm going to go…" she said, and he nodded.

"I don't really know what's going on, but please come back later!" he said, and she smiled,before turning and leaving the room, leaving the boy alone with the animal.

The two turned to face each other again, and he smiled. "Let me guess, you were sent here to spy on me."

Another cawk, this one lower, more indignant than threatening, if a bird could be indignant. "Not spy! Rune is speaking! Am David friend!"

He blinked in confusion. So it wasn't sent to watch him? "Are you one of Sheffield's creations?"

It made an odd sound between a cawk and a hiss as it ruffled its feathers again at the name. "Sheffield friend! Not master! David friend! David master! Nevermore messenger. Sheffield say New Divide."

He nodded. "So...is she watching me right now? Or did she just send you to be my friend?"

"Sheffield busy! Sent Nevermore! Find Casper! Find New Divide! Found David friend instead!"

So...if he was translating the crow's bizarre way of speaking properly, she wasn't watching. She'd...just sent it to keep him company? Was that right?

"What is Sheffield doing now? Why did she send you instead of a message?" he asked, and the crow hopped off the bedpost, strutting along the sheets on the bed toward where he was now sitting, before it hopped onto his lap, plopping itself down and staring up at him.

"Sheffield busy. Say runes burn. Nevermore don't understand. Sheffield sent Nevermore. Say keep New Divide company!"

His eyes widened at the statement. It had been delivered in such a short and matter-of-fact manner, but...Those two words meant a lot more to him than they did to this bird.

 _Runes burn_. Two words, said in such a monotone, but…

He knew what that meant. He'd felt it before, back at Lagdorian Lake. The water spirit had said it was caused by him being disobedient to Louise…

That meant that Sheffield's loyalty had wavered somehow. How could that be possible? What on Earth could possibly come between her and Joseph? Even if it was for a split second, she'd still had such thoughts...That was something he hadn't known to be possible.

Maybe convincing her to switch sides wouldn't be as difficult as he thought. He just hoped that he had translated the crow's words correctly. If he had, then New Divide just got a whole lot more complex.

He held a hand to the bird, and to his surprise, it raised its head to allow him to pet it, rubbing its head idly as he thought over the situation.

Should he tell Henrietta? No, it would be pointless. She didn't know Sheffield even existed,and it would take a lot of explaining and back-and-forth messages to help her understand the significance of the situation.

When he first laid out the groundwork for his plan, he'd picked Henrietta for her political power and personal values, but now that he thought of it, having just one person, even someone like her, leading the project wasn't the best idea...If he could get Sheffield, by far the most effective reconnaissance agent on the continent, on his side.

He smiled as he stroked the bird, ignoring the resemblance to the Godfather scene. "Nevermore, what do you say we make 'friend Sheffield' my friend too?"

"Nevermore like that. Make Sheffield New Divide!"

He chuckled. "Exactly. Well put."


	78. Sheffield's Secrecy

"This is a mess." complained Jean-Jacques Francis, Viscount de Wardes, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair, kicking a foot up to lie on the table in front of him. "We need a backup plan, and fast. Sheffield, get your head out of the clouds and come up with an answer to this!"

The woman groaned, looking up from where her head was resting on a wet towel on the table, and the third member of their small group sighed sympathetically, resting his head on his hands with his elbows on the table, the purple gem of the Ring of Andvari flashing in the candlelight of the room.

"Now, now, don't get so angry at her. She's been sick recently, we have to understand that even someone like her can have a flu bug." He rolled his eyes sideways to look at her as she sat up, holding the towel to her forehead, the corner of her runes visible under the towel glowing brightly, flashing every so often as they'd been doing for the last few days.

Her face showed clearly how the sickness was affecting her, her mouth pulled into a frown and her eyes drooping, the small spikes of mascara on her face missing as she hadn't had the energy that morning to reapply it, not that it actually served any real purpose.

A simple cold wouldn't cause her runes to flash, but she chose not to tell these two either about the New Divide she'd discovered, and the other symptoms were very much due to a real illness...She wasn't used to sickness, having been in the relatively safe Versailles for most of her life after she'd become a familiar, and so even this small bug was enough to knock her out of commission for a while.

Even Joseph had decided to give her time off due to it, and in that time she'd not had the opportunity to do much of anything that she'd planned to...She couldn't reply properly to the bizarre sonnet New Divide had sent in reply to her first message, so she'd just enchanted some bird and sent it in place of an actual letter...She didn't foresee any overly dangerous ramifications of such a decision since the spy already knew about her. Besides, the bird wasn't given more than the usual intelligence she gave her gargoyles.

It had been a week since she'd first gotten sick, and now, she was on the tail end, finally recovering enough that she could meet with the other Reconquista leaders, and she waved the hand not holding the towel in response to Cromwell's concerns.

"I am well enough to help, don't worry...I wouldn't have come if I weren't." she replied, her voice having returned somewhat to normal, though she was still too tired to bother with her usual regal way of speaking. "...Forgive me, what is the issue we're discussing?"

Wardes sighed in irritation, glaring at her as he repeated himself from earlier. "James and Wales Tudor have managed to evade every effort to locate them. Albion is not that large, this shouldn't be taking so long!"

Sheffield sighed, lowering her towel and setting it on the table, crossing her arms to think, ignoring the headache from the flashing runes and shaking her head to clear her thoughts. "That is a problem...They're the remaining living members now, aren't they?" she asked, and Cromwell nodded.

"Well, other than James' brothers, though the Archduke supports our cause...Perhaps we should consider the possibility of eradicating the de Tristain line as well, since they are still tied to Albion through Henry Tudor."

Henry Tudor. It had been a long time since anyone referred to Henri de Tristain in that way, but he was a legitimate threat to both Reconquista and the secret plans Joseph had for the rebel organization. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but King Henri also has a daughter, does he not? The blood of Void is within her from both the Albion and Tristain bloodlines...She could be dangerous too. What do you think, Jean-Jacques?" She turned to face Wardes, who still was leaning back, his arms crossed behind his head, more relaxed now that they were actually discussing the situation.

"That won't be necessary. As you know, as the captain of the Tristain Griffin Knights, I am quite close to her regularly...She possesses none of the potential for Void, though I do understand your worries...I'm not as knowledgeable of how Void magic works as you are, but I wager that she is only a threat due to political reasons...as well as her connection to Wales."

"Is it possible Tristain has decided to harbor them within its borders? James has a favorable relationship with Henry as well, it's possible…"

Sheffield shook her head. "If that were the case, then Foquet would have reported on it by now."

Cromwell groaned at the name, rubbing his forehead in exasperation. "Why did she leave so quickly? She never even gave a notice that she was abandoning the cause, and when I sent messengers to Westwood, there was no trace of the half-elf either."

"Well, that happens when you force people to help against their will." Wardes replied. "Matilda was never very supportive of our goals, she preferred to stay out of politics...I say we just let her do her own thing. Her only goal is protecting the girl anyway, she isn't a threat to us...Though I would like to know what triggered her to leave so quickly. It's as if she knew we wouldn't be watching at that time…"

Sheffield bit her lip at the statement. She didn't have evidence, but she had a good gut instinct, and it told her that Fouquet's desertion was connected to the still-unknown entity calling himself New Divide. It would be invaluable to Reconquista to mention it, but…

If she wasn't going to tell Joseph, she certainly wasn't going to tell Cromwell. She ignored the lance of pain shooting through her skull at the very thought of disobeying Joseph again. She just couldn't tell him. She didn't know why, but every time she thought of it, the image of that boy Tabitha brought along feeding the tear to the Duchess always caught her off guard. The two things were totally unrelated, but some bizarre trick of the mind always brought them simultaneously to the forefront of her mind...She'd have to diagnose herself before she could decide anything other than inaction, perhaps she'd simply had some bizarre mental crossing at the time. It was possible considering the boy had displayed the runes of Gandalfr, meaning he too was a void familiar like her.

It didn't help that she had gotten glimpses of the strange vision he'd had one of those nights. She still hadn't found any records on 'Vidar', though he seemed to be a Mjöðvitnir like her.

Luckily, none of the other two seemed to notice her pause, and she recovered her effort at a neutral expression through the haze of sickness before they turned back to her, waiting for her opinion on the matter.

"I don't really care about her choice to leave, honestly." she said. "She wasn't necessary, especially after that disaster of a mission to get the Staff of Destruction...and if she can get defeated by the Gandalfr when he's barely awoken, she wouldn't have been useful when we actually needed her. We'll just have to work around her loss. On that note, shouldn't we be a little worried about that elf? She has the potential for void after all…"

"It's not like it makes a difference if we can't find her. They'll turn up at some point, right now, we should just handle the issue with our main targets…"


	79. Derflinger and Sasha

**For better or for worse, this will be the last post on my account before Hurricane Irma hits the mainland. I live farther north than the most likely path, but I'm not out of the woods, so I don't actually know if I'll have power or not for who knows how long. In any case, our hearts go out to Harvey victims as well as Irma's new path even if I am safe. Because of the storm, I won't be doing a normal chapter. Instead, I felt like doing a (hopefully spoiler-free) side story thing. Not really related to them, but whatever.**

 **Regular chapters will be continued whenever possible. Neither I nor David plan on being beaten down by a force of nature!**

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I am a weapon, forged from the Void and wielded by the one who I choose as my master.

No one has ever wielded me as strongly as my creator. She was no blacksmith, no metalworker, no weapons forger, and yet, she could weave forbidden magics like no other.

She was an elf, and not very unique among them, and yet she caught the attention of that childish man who stole the magic of the gods. That man's unjustly earned talents are what lead to my creation, though I never complained to them. Why should I complain? It's his magic, and I was born from it. While I exist merely as a tool to be wielded by others, that is quite alright with me. It is better than no existence at all.

She eventually married that man, and had children. She spent a long time telling me how the process worked, despite my lack of interest, and so, I am aware of how the mortals produce their own kind. It is a knowledge I have still not found an actual use for. After all, my blade is large and sharp.

I warned her about that man. I was born of his magic and her soul, I could read him better than she ever could, though she claimed things like fate and a red thread when I tried to convince her.

She didn't see the signs. She didn't see the darkness enveloping him until it was already too late, and I found myself returning to his body, though in this form, there was no chance of merging.

I was no longer of him. I was simply a weapon this time, wielded to sever the bond between them. I felt no remorse for destroying the monster that inhabited the man's shell, but I kept quiet about my personal opinions. I was a weapon and a weapon alone, but I understood grief. I had seen it in the hearts of others who met my blade.

My creator made me deliver her a final promise. I was to become not a weapon alone, but a guide to those who would inherit her power in the future. I was the Talking Void Sword Derflinger, the most unique weapon in the world.

I would have asked her why she made me give such a promise, but as I fell to the ground and she turned away, I understood. I was the product of mixing the stolen magic with the will of the elves. A true child of magic, not a mere genetic offspring.

I have kept that promise ever since. The details may be fuzzy now, and I can barely remember her face, but the promise remains true, in every word I speak and every wound I make.

They say Gandalfr always keeps their word. Well, Gandalfr's sword is the same way.


	80. A Risky Tactic

**Well, while Irma is still doing damage, I'm safe and sound where I am, and it has officially downgraded to a tropical storm. Time to continue with normal chapters. I hope everyone liked the side story, though it is technically non-canon!**

 **By the way, I haven't decided on Nevermore's gender yet, so I'm curious on what you all think it should be and why. I won't bother with an official poll, just shout out in the reviews or PMs like usual!**

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Louise's bed was oddly uncomfortable compared to the beds in the Versailles palace, but it wasn't enough to prevent him from passing out as soon as his head hit the pillow, not even bothering to get under the covers.

As he slept, Nevermore stood on the bedpost, standing like a guard facing him for several hours before it turned its head, noting the sound of the door opening, and a tired-looking Louise came through, her feet dragging on the floor as she collapsed in the chair Guiche had been sleeping on the day before, groaning as she stared at the ceiling.

"Founder, the parties here last a long time, and of course we had to go into more alchemy lessons right after..." she complained, sinking lower into the chair, before she blinked, turning her head to stare at the crow sitting on her bedpost, and the animal made eye contact with her, twisting its head to the side to see her better. She barely registered David sleeping on her bed, an occurrence she honestly expected at this point, but the bird was slightly more unusual. She'd noticed the semi-regular influx of pigeons coming to her room when he assumed she was asleep, but a crow?

"What are you doing here? Get out, this isn't the place for birds." she said, though she was too tired to do more than wave a hand at it. Mrs. Chevreuse had once again forced her to attempt the lesson, despite knowing full well how worthless she was with pretty much any magic, but to her luck and the class's surprise, it had been a lesson on elementless alchemy, something she was incredibly good at...She'd enjoyed seeing Kirche's smug smile fade to a look of shock when she successfully completed the assignment, and it was even more satisfying when, upon Montmorency attempting it, it blew up in her face. For once it was not the Zero getting the room coated in ash!

"Nevermore belongs here." the bird said, and her eyes widened in surprise as she sat up, her shock boosting her energy enough that she could stand and walk in front of it, crossing her arms and looking down.

"Really? Why? I don't remember getting a pet." she replied, and it ruffled its feathers and jumped, flapping a few times before landing on the bed, strutting towards David's sleeping form and nestling itself between his arm and chest.

"Not yours. David friend. Nevermore is not pet, Nevermore is Nevermore!" the crow replied, and she blinked, unsure how to respond, before sighing, shaking her head, and her hand slipped into her cloak to grab her wand from the loop she kept it on.

"David's always going around doing things without my permission, what a worthless familiar." she said quietly, before drawing the wand and, rather than using any sort of spell, simply turned it so the tip was pointing down, and drove it right into the space between the sleeping boy's fourth and fifth rib, right where he'd had the most trouble in the weeks after the Fouquet mission.

Now, he was fully healed, but that didn't mean it wa any less painful getting a thin stick driven into his torso, and he jolted, spluttering awake and instinctively grabbing her hand, and before she realized it, she'd been flipped over, pinned below his elbow as Nevermore flapped to escape his other hand, which had somehow manage to grab her wand and brandish it towards her nonexistent chest, his right leg wrapped around her knees to keep her down.

She couldn't even make a scream of surprise at the completely unexpected move, and David himself seemed wholly confused at how they'd ended up in this position, blinking as he stared down at her.

"Uh…" he said, involuntarily glancing at his left hand, and her eyes followed his, widening in surprise as she found his runes glowing.

He got off her, groaning and cradling his torso where she'd jabbed him with one hand, holding her wand out to her with the other. "Seems like it reacted instinctively...You okay?"

Louise blinked, sitting up and staring at him as she took her wand back, setting it back inside her cloak. "I jabbed you and that's your response?" she asked, hmphing in an effort to act more tsun than she normally was.

He laughed hesitantly, before turning his head to the crow that had hopped onto his outstretched knee. "Hey, Nevermore. I see you met Louise." he said, smiling and holding out his hand to the bird, who acknowledged the motion by moving its head forward to rest its beak on his palm.

"It said it was your friend." Louise said, deciding to let the boy's reaction slide for now. "What else have you been up to without me knowing?"

He waved his hand, smiling as the crow hopped closer to him, resting in his lap now. "No, I actually didn't intend to meet Nevermore. It was just waiting for me when I came in."

"It seems to like you, at least. You have a weird knack for finding talking things that really shouldn't be able to speak."

He smiled and shrugged off the statement. "Think it's fine to keep it? I'd like a pet, I had several cats back at home and it just feels weird not having an animal constantly around."

She blinked, before sighing. "Do what you want, I don't care. Let this Nevermore be your familiar."

He blinked, before laughing and looking at the animal. "Yeah, I guess that's pretty accurate, isn't it?"

Nevermore nodded, an odd sight to see. "Nevermore is David friend's familiar. Will remember. Louise is Nevermore friend?"

He grinned. "Yes, Louise is your friend. Oh, but Louise doesn't know Sheffield."

"Will be quiet." Nevermore said, and Louise blinked.

"Sheffield?" she asked, and he shrugged, having already formed an excuse.

"Nevermore's mate, she's a crow too. I doubt we'll get to meet her."

He blinked as he heard Casper's voice in his head, with a tone of moderate surprise in her voice.

"Careful, I can't protect you from your own mistakes…" she said. "That's a good excuse, but you won't always get away with it if you're so careless."

 _Don't worry, Casper. This is all part of the plan._ He didn't know if she could hear his thoughts, but it didn't matter. To get Sheffield on his side, he'd first need to ensure that Louise, the closest and therefore most dangerous person to him, wouldn't be suspicious if he started referring to Sheffield...especially since he had a feeling she was already aware of his messaging with Henrietta.


	81. Officially Friends

It was boring being the Brainless King. Everything on the surface was handled by a council that didn't respect him, and there was rarely anything to do relating to the many underground plans he was laying out. As of now, he had nothing to do but idly stare at his raised hand, watching the way the brown ruby in the center of his ring glinted in the light, as for once he was in a brightly lit room, sitting facing a floor-length window

Brown rubies. What a joke. He knew gemstones, and rubies couldn't be any of the colors that the royal rings had, other than that of Romalia's ruby of fire, whose whereabouts were unknown unlike the other three. This Ruby of Earth was probably tiger's eye or some other less valuable stone. Of course, what mattered was not the worth but the symbolism, and on his ring finger rested a quarter of the gems enchanted by Brimir himself. It was an honor even the emotionless man could understand quite well.

The door to the room burst open, and he didn't even have to turn from his window-facing seat to know who it was. Only one person lacked the common decency to knock before interrupting him, not that he was doing anything worthwhile.

"Isabella. Back from your little escapade in Romalia?" he asked, not bothering to turn to face her. He didn't need to, there wasn't a point in wasting the effort when she could speak just as easily without seeing his face.

A very familiar chuckle confirmed his suspicions about the intruder's identity as she walked into the room, stopping several meters away from the back of his chair. "It was fun, I made a new friend. Some flamen named Julio was happy to be my guide around Aquilea...It's not like the capital, but it's pretty in its own right. It was nice taking time off from all that stuff you tell me to do."

"Oh, do you not enjoy your work? You seem to be relatively excited at the prospect of playing with Sheffield's new toys." he replied, and she laughed.

"I'm not interested in Reconquista or Void magic. I live only for my own amusement, and it just usually happens to align with what you're plotting. Honestly, you should just tell the council about it, it's not like they'll disagree, you've got them all wrapped around your little finger after all with the whole 'Brainless King' act, Joseph."

"I assume you didn't come here just to criticize my methods." he replied simply.

"Of course not. Scoville wanted to deliver her report, but she was still under the weather and just had me do it." Naturally she took the extra effort to butcher Sheffield's name as usual. He'd be proud if he had such a capability. "Reconquista is changing tactics and backing off from the remaining Tudors. Seems they've decided to let them come out of hiding on their own."

"Mhm." he replied, disinterested with the report already. It was an expected move after all, and probably would have happened sooner had Sheffield not suddenly come down with some sickness that messed with her runes. He could tell that she'd been trying to hide the flashing symbols, but he had no reason to care about her embarrassment. "And what have you found about the people who ransacked the Eastern Parterre?"

"I sent the Gensō Siblings to investigate, though nothing's come up yet. It seems odd to be focusing on that quadrant though…"

"Yes, I'd have expected the Southern or Western Parterres to be hit since they support me, I can't imagine a reason to attack the fools still clinging to their loyalty to my brother."

"It does seem a bit cruel to be attacking soldiers with nothing left of their loyalty except a dream." she agreed, and he laughed.

"Cruel, is it? Perhaps I should go witness it myself. Perhaps it will make me feel something!"

He heard her shoes squeak on the floor as she turned around. "You know, Joseph, for someone who can't feel emotion, you sure do a lot of laughing." Without waiting for a reply, she walked away, the door to the room closing behind her as Joseph sighed, looking back at the ring he'd been studying before.

~~~Back at the Academy~~~

As he'd been doing more frequently recently, David was taking a walk around the boundary of the academy walls as it neared sunset, leaving Louise to do whatever it is she usually did. Probably getting her ears full from the talkative crow, who he'd told to stay in the room. Thankfully, Nevermore was better at listening to him than he was at listening to Louise.

He ignored the pain lancing through his body as the runes showed their distaste for his disobedient thoughts, simply holding his left hand in the pouch sewn to the front of his hoodie. It was getting to be warmer now that it was late April, but it was still cool enough at night that he still needed the sweater...plus it was starting to become his signature like Saito's ridiculous bright blue jacket...and he never knew when he needed to flip the hood up to hide his face.

That thought evidently jinxed it as he passed by the entrance to one of the towers, almost running into Kirche, who was also going out for some reason but stopped when she noticed him.

She grinned, waving and standing beside him, falling into line as he continued to walk. "Haven't seen you much since we got back, how are you?" she asked, and he smiled at her.

Kirche wasn't a bad person, and after the incident with Tabitha's mother, she'd backed off completely on her effort to seduce him. It just wasn't worth it, and he knew she wanted to let Tabitha get closer to him. She cared more for her friend than she did her own interests.

"It's only been like two days since we got back, and you saw me on both of them. At least, Tabitha mentioned you were watching the duel."

"...Duel? Oh, right, that rematch with Guiche!" she said, after hesitating to think about it. "Nah, I didn't watch it. No point, I knew you'd win after all, and I had a lot of homework to do because I forgot to finish that essay on brass transmutation for Mrs. Chevreuse."

He stared at her in confusing, and she waved a hand. "Alchemy stuff. Not my forte, I'm geared for offensive magic as a fire mage. It's more Tabitha's style since she deals a lot with combination magic, with her signature being ice and all."

"How's she doing? I haven't gotten to talk with her too much, I've only seen her once or twice recently and she left before I could really get much of a conversation in."

"Well, that's how she is, you know her. Quiet as a mouse. I bet your world has some word for her type, doesn't it?"

He laughed and nodded. "Yeah. Kuudere. Cold on the outside but caring on the inside. Perfect match for her."

Kirche laughed, lightly punching his arm in a friendly motion that he did not expect from her. "Well, I find it ironic that the magicless familiar was able to melt the ice that a fire mage couldn't. Guess that makes us rivals for her affection, huh?"

He blinked, before he realized she wasn't talking about romance, just teasing as she often did. He held a hand out to her, stopping his pace to turn and face her, and she blinked stopping alongside him.

"You know, you're not so bad once you show your real motivations." he said, laughing at the frown on her face. "Why don't we be officially friends?"

Her frown quickly faded into a mischievous grin as she held her own hand out, though rather than taking his handshake, she held her fist forward in a motion he'd seen more and more often recently. "Careful, having me as a friend means you get all the baggage with me, and I've got my own share of messed up backstory too."

He chuckled, returning the fist bump, and they began to walk again. "Seems like I'm getting increasingly involved in people's personal lives recently, what's one more going to change?"

She grinned at his reaction. "That's exactly what I expected you to say...I swear you're going to end up accidentally changing the world with that attitude of yours."

He smiled back, remembering the conversation Isabella had had with him what felt like months ago, but what really was only a few weeks. "You can bet on it."


	82. A New Mission

**I calculated the potential length for the full story, and I've realized that KoC may be 500 chapters before it's over. I have short chapters, but that's still quite the undertaking!**

* * *

"Well, I didn't come out to talk to you, I've got my own stuff to do." Kirche said, stretching her arms out, the ring on her right hand flashing in the light of one of the two moons...He still didn't know if they had names.

He chuckled and continued walking, waving behind him as she branched away and headed wherever else she was going. "See ya." he replied.

It didn't take long for silence to reign again, not that he minded. Now that Kirche had stopped attempting to seduce him, she was good company, but he still enjoyed his quiet time. Nobody was outside this time of night, so he could think his own thoughts here.

He stopped for a quick rest and leaned on the wall next to the main entrance, facing towards the central tower and thinking over the recent events.

Not much of importance had happened since he returned from Versailles, not that he minded. It was nice to get a break from the seemingly constant problems he had to solve.

Granted, he didn't _have_ to solve them, but if he was going to play the part of the hero, he might as well do it right. By now he cared less about mimicking Saito and more about just doing things so they stayed solved. It was easier all around than being a reckless pervert like the canon MC.

"Solving things your own way...Is that how New Divide works?" asked a voice, and David nearly jumped out of his skin, his hand instinctively reaching for Derf, though he didn't have the sword with him and his hand met nothing but air.

He blinked as he saw Agnes standing next to him, watching from where she stood under the entrance archway, a small smirk on her face.

"I wasn't aware you talk to yourself." she said, and he blinked, standing straight and rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"Did I...say all that aloud?" he asked, and she nodded.

"It's a good thing the Princess already briefed me on your plans beforehand, or else you'd have a lot of explaining to do."

"Wait, you...know?" he asked, and she nodded.

"The Princess is clumsier than you are, it wasn't too difficult for me to pick up that something is amiss, and even though it took a lot of prying, she eventually gave in and told me. So...guess that means I'm in on the secret too."

He sighed in resignation. It made sense that she had forced the information out of her, he trusted Henrietta not to give away the plan willingly after all. "To be honest, I wasn't sure it was a very good idea to hide it from you anyway, since you're Henrietta's personal Chevalier…"

"Naturally, and I can't say I trust you all that much considering you've been manipulating the throne." she said, crossing her arms. "Though the Princess assures me that you are on Tristain's side."

"I have no desire to cause any trouble, don't worry about that. Right now, I'm just in the information-gathering phase."

"I was already suspicious of you after Cheri's report during the Fouquet mission...I could tell right away you were making things up when she claimed you'd killed her with a pommel strike. Is that thief one of your spies now too?"

He blinked, before shaking his head, giving in to her questioning. The jig was up, and he knew he couldn't lie his way out of Agnes' suspicion. "No, Matilda's not a spy, though she does know about New Divide...I gave her a second chance at life, that's all. She's probably in Romalia by now, safe from Reconquista's hold."

"So she was being controlled by them...I hope that your information is accurate. I don't really understand the princess's efforts to explain this 'Familiar of Zero' book that you are getting your information from, but then again, metaphysics isn't my style. I'll leave that to the scholars, I'm just a soldier." She shook her head. "In any case, normally I would put you through some kind of test, or maybe a punishment, for manipulating her, as I am sworn to protect her...but as she vouches for you, I won't say anything. I only request that you involve me in this plan as well."

He blinked in surprise. "Wait, you want to join? I'd have thought you wouldn't want anything to do with it…"

She shrugged, and he realized she wasn't wearing her usual armor, simply opting to wear a simple shirt and pants, something he'd never seen her in before...Why was she dressed so casually? Even her sword was gone, though she still had a pistol strapped to her waist as usual.

"You gained the respect of King Henri, a man notorious for being difficult to impress, without really doing very much, and both of them appear to approve of your relationship with the princess...I believed you when you said you had no romantic interest in her, but it can't be ignored that you have a strong partnership, and it is true that you've done several things to benefit the kingdom by now...So, call it my desire to repay my debt to Odekoron Knight."

He stared, before smiling, nodding in acceptance. "Then I'll have to think of how to factor you in...God, I've had too many revelations in the last day, I need a break…" Even though he just had one, but now he had both Sheffield and Agnes to deal with, and he knew Count Thrak would likely become more important later on if his guess was right as to how things would play out. The canon was little better than a slightly unhelpful guide at this point, but he had his own deductive reasoning.

At the Chevalier's smirk, he realized that a break would not be forthcoming. "Er...Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked, and she chuckled quietly.

"I suppose it's as good a time as any to explain why I came here, and why I am not in my normal outfit...Going in full armor would have been too obvious, and I came here alone straight from the palace. You and your master are to accompany the royal family as part of their guard, along with me of course."

...Well, that was a bombshell. There was a lot of information there to unpack, so he just went with the simplest part. "...Where?"

"Albion. Reconquista's leaders have expressed their desire to negotiate terms with the Tudor family...and since our King is a member as well, that means Tristain is dragged into it too. I would rather not get involved at all, but as I am not a member of the royal family it is not my choice to make. Nor is it yours. It seems the princess is interested in seeing Louise's skills...and I suspect she also simply wishes to be around you more often."

"I thought you said you understood we're not in that relationship?" he asked, and she smirked again.

"That is true...but that doesn't mean I can't see that she enjoys your presence. It's not necessarily romantic in nature, I've seen the same in other people around you. The de Gramont child is the same way, from the little I've seen of him and the report Cheri gave me after watching your duel. Congratulations on that, by the way, I hear you had a decisive victory."

He grinned. "Being congratulated by one of the highest ranked knights in the kingdom...It's too much of an honor for me."

"Yeah, well, I'd say that it's a little more high-ranking to be on a first name basis with the Princess."


	83. Dropping Bombshells

"How many times are we going to end up in a carriage going off in random directions?" Louise grumbled, sitting squashed in the corner of the carriage. It was a larger space than the usual carts they rode on, being the royal carriage, but it still was small enough that the six people inside had to sit with sides touching. It didn't help that one corner was reserved for the various weapons Agnes waas bringing, as well as Derf and David's guitar. Why he needed it he didn't know, but Marianne had requested it so he might as well take it.

Poor Louise was forced to sit in the opposite corner of the side with the large items, pressed up against Henrietta, who sat with Agnes to her right, while across from them, David was on the side opposite Agnes, with Henri in the middle and Marianne on the other side. It was late and he suspected that they were planning this secretly, or else they'd have a procession or at least a storage bay for the weaponry and instrument, but he didn't really mind...other than the fact that there was a grown man leaning on his shoulder, snoring his head off. Henri was louder asleep than he was awake.

Henriett wrapped her arm around her childhood friend reassuringly, though it meant pushing closer and served only to irritate the pinkette more. "It's not a long trip, we'll be in La Rochelle soon. We've already crossed the border to Gallia."

"Gallia…" David said, his arms crossed as he made an effort to push Henri off his shoulder, an action met with a low growl coming from the Chevalier across from him. "It's funny how many people I know from here now."

"I heard you met Isabella de Martel." Marianne said, and he blinked, turning to face her.

"Er, yeah, I did. She's kind of weird, I stayed away from her. She seems well known though…"

The queen consort smiled. "She's King Joseph's daughter, and she's notorious for being a dangerous individual because she's not only a competent Triangle mage, she's also among the most intelligent people on record...and she's as cunning as she is smart. Staying away from her is a good decision."

"Isn't she that girl who showed up in the last international meeting?" Henrietta asked. "That short girl with the doll?"

Marianne smiled at her daughter's question. "That was a long time ago, Henrietta, nearly a decade if I recall correctly. That wasn't Isabella, it was Charlotte, her cousin. Isabella was probably on a mission at the time." She frowned and shook her head at the thought. "On covert missions at such a young age...No wonder she grew up to be so odd."

So Isabella really was who he suspected her to be. If she was so dangerous, why was she able to freely go around between Gallia and Tristain?

"She didn't seem too dangerous. She was weird, but not a threat or anything."

"She didn't know who you are or how you are connected to the royal family, as well as being the Tristainian Void mage's familiar." Agnes said. "If she knew that, she'd be a much bigger enemy than she is currently.

Louise blinked, sitting up and staring at the knight. "Wait, void mage? What are you talking about?"

Agnes looked at her with an expression of surprise. "Wait, you mean you weren't already aware?" she asked, turning her head to David. "Did you...not tell her?"

He shook his head. "I was going to, but I wasn't sure how...She isn't aware of my involvement in New Divide yet."

"Hang on, you can't just go dropping bombshells like that all of a sudden!" the loli complained, and David blinked. Where had she heard that expression? Bombs weren't a thing in this world… "You're connected to that spy? I'm a void mage? Explain these things before going around saying them!"

Henrietta smiled at her friend's annoyance, crossing her hands in her lap and looking at David. "It would have been best to tell her earlier, but do you mind if I explain the void part? I understand the reasoning behind it, since it's been well established how it is inherited."

He nodded. "Go ahead." he replied, and Louise looked between them as Henrietta made an effort to turn around in the cramped space.

"You're aware of the royal bloodlines, aren't you?" she asked, and Louise nodded. "Well, each bloodline, those of Tristain, Gallia, and Albion, are traced back to Brimir himself. Those in the bloodlines can inherit the void, and though only one or two are confirmed, anyone within those lines could inherit it if they're closely related to the previous void mage. You already knows about the connection between the de Tristain and de la Valliere families, right?"

Louise nodded. "They were the same until they split off, but they're barely related anymore, it's been a millennium since they were connected!"

Henrietta nodded. "And yet they've remained closely tied to the throne for that long. Do you know why?"

This was information David wasn't aware of. Henrietta knew her history, something he wasn't very aware of. Listening to her would help him as well.

"Because…" Louise said, fishing for words, before her eyes widened in realization. "Because...The void was inherited by that branch?"

Henrietta nodded. "Exactly. The previous known wielder was Adolphe de la Valliere, the Chevalier of King Louis III. Before him, it was King Louis de Tristain I, his grandfather, and it was assumed it would be inherited by his granddaughter, Alice. Of course, it never surfaced in her, so it remained buried...until you were born."

"So, I...inherited it from Lord Adolphe?" she asked, and the group turned as Derf suddenly popped from its sheath.

"That guy was a failure of a mage. He was arrogant and used his power poorly. I don't know how he managed to become a Chevalier, much less control his familiar. She was too nice for her own good. It's no wonder he got both of them killed."

"...You've never talked so freely about your previous wielders before." David said. "Any reason to pop out this time?"

The sword laughed and continued. "When I have a strong opinion of someone, I'm perfectly willing to speak of them. I've said numerous times, you're my favorite Gandalfr since Sasha herself, though I can't say I have a positive opinion of Louise as of yet, though perhaps it will change as she learns to use her power. My memory isn't perfect, but there are certain wielders and their masters who I remember clearly. Adolphe was one of the worst people I had the misfortune of serving, though his familiar, Francine, was a good person and wielded me responsibly, though she was too weak-willed to challenge him when he was wrong."

"...Really? He was known as a hero who fought back a rebellion." Marianne said, and the sword laughed again.

"A false rebellion. Nothing ever happened, he made that story up and Francine was too afraid to speak against him. He only used that story to have an excuse to destroy his rivals."

Agnes clenched her fist at that statement. "So he was just like the one who destroyed D'Angleterre." she said, and David looked worriedly at her. "How many 'heroes' were not as heroic as they seemed?"

"Oh, don't worry about that. Most of the void mages, at least those in Tristain, were honest with their goals. The way of Gandalfr is to be true to spoken promises, and while their masters weren't always so keen on following that path, they would usually align well. Adolphe was an exception, not the norm."

"...Anyway, why do you think it's me that inherited void? I can barely use any elemental magic…"

Henrietta looked at David, who nodded and turned to her. "That's one of the criteria for void magic. Void is itself an elemental magic, and it overrides all others. Of course, elementless mages exist, but the fact that you're also a de la Valliere, and you're proficient in elementless magic, makes it likely you're not that. And then there's me."

"You? What do you have to do with it?" she asked, and he smiled, holding up his left hand to show off the runes.

"I'm the Gandalfr. You've heard me use the term before, right? Gandalfr, the Left Hand of God, and the familiar to the Tristainian void mage. If anything, you should have figured it out already…"

Louise puffed her cheeks in annoyance. "Well, sorry for not being aware that you've been doing research behind my back!" she complained, crossing her arms and looking away from him, at the wall next to her. "Some familiar you are, ignoring your master and not saying when there's something important!"

David involuntarily groaned as his Gandalfr hand met his forehead, another spike of pain stemming from the statement of disobedience, though this time, the runes didn't flash. Was he getting used to it now? This was the third major spike he'd felt since the meeting with the water spirit…

At least he doubted his were any worse than Sheffield's, if Nevermore's words were anything to go by. _Runes burn_. Sheffield was far more loyal than he was, her headaches must be awful.

He had to convince the crow to stay behind, he didn't want Sheffield to realize he was New Divide, and he knew she'd be at this negotiations meeting since she was part of Reconquista too.

Louise frowned. "Do I really give you that much of a headache?" she asked, coincidentally echoing his thoughts.

He shook his head, lowering his hand and smiling. "No, it's just something that happened when I was in Versailles. Nothing to do with you." Gandalfr was loyal to promises. That didn't mean he couldn't lie.


	84. Agnes' Promise

The carriage was stopped at the southern end of the Red River, the branch splitting west off the main flow coming from the east in Gallia's mountainous border with Germania. They were at the coast, which David insisted on calling the Atlantic despite them calling it the "Mer de l'Ouest", which according to his universal translation meant "Western Sea". They didn't really seem to care when he corrected it by saying it was clearly an ocean.

Nevertheless, ocean or sea, they'd found a nice spot to stop at. It was scenic, and despite being so close to the ocean, there was little marine breeze, and plenty of grasses for the horses pulling the carriage to eat. Henri hadn't woken up when they stopped, and Marianne had expressed that she too wished to sleep away the break, so now, it was the younger four out and about, with the horse driver tending to his animals.

Agnes was her usual stuffy self, standing at attention outside the carriage while she watched to make sure Louise didn't do anything stupid while she "practiced" her newly-revealed void magic, i.e., pointing her wand at random patches of grass and shouting 'Explosion' in typical Louise fashion.

David, meanwhile, was simply resting with his head on his hands, leaning on one of the carriage wheels facing Louise, and Henrietta was nearby, sitting in a clearly failing effort to sit in the same relaxed position as he was in...Evidently her royal upbringing meant she had trouble sitting outside of the usual stiff posture she usually took on.

"Was it really a good idea to teach her about Explosion so soon after she learned it was a real spell?" David mused, watching the void mage blasting apart a rock.

"She already was using it all the time on accident, might as well let her actually know what she's doing so she's more careful, right?" Henrietta said, and he exhaled, nodding in agreement and closing his eyes. If only there was a small breeze right now, but there was nothing but stillness in the air. It was odd, weren't European beaches similar to American ones in that they always had winds?

"I suppose you're right...no need to tell her she can pack enough punch to destroy a fleet of airships." he replied. "That magic is incredibly dangerous, it's a wonder she hasn't blown herself up from it. I doubt there's any sort of protection she has from being hurt, Void doesn't work that way."

Agnes crossed her arms, shifting to stand closer to the two so she could speak without being in Louise's earshot, though with the girl's whooping over being able to let off steam in this way meant she'd probably hear nothing. "Such a volatile nature for such a dangerous skill...Are you sure she's a good person to have wielding it?" she asked, and David shrugged nonchalantly.

"From what I know, she's not as bad as her personality suggests, and she'll improve over time...Plus, it's not like we can change it now, the only way to lose the Void is to die, and I think I can speak for Henrietta and I in saying that we don't want that." As Henrietta nodded, he grinned, holding up his hand to let the runes show in the midday sunlight. "Besides, I still need Gandalfr. I'm not nearly at the level I need to be to not require its of hard to be a familiar without a master, isn't it?"

The Chevalier smirked, uncrossing her arms and groaning as she bent over to sit down heavily on the ground next to him, her armor clanking as it made her movement difficult, and he raised an eyebrow at the motion. She set an arm on one knee, letting the other sprawl out on the ground. Clearly, she expected no sort of attack or anything requiring guarding the group, though perhaps she simply assumed the pink-haired lunatic firing explosive charges all over the place would ward off any potential enemies.

"Maybe I'll train you, then, or have one of my Musketeer Squad do it for me. It's no good for the brains of New Divide to be weak on the battlefield, isn't it?

He smiled at her, before frowning, sighing as he looked at the ground. "Hey, I've been meaning to ask something. I noticed how your hand was shaking when Derf mentioned Adolphe's facade."

The knight blinked, before she frowned, her eyes hardening. "You know why that is, don't you?" she asked. "You know me, and my past." At his nod, she shook her head, making a sound between a sigh and a growl as her expression softened. "That's kind of weird to think about, that there's people out there who know every detail of our lives, played out on a screen in front of them…"

"I wonder if my life is the same way in some other world." David said, before chuckling to himself. "Nah, my life was extraordinarily boring before I came here. To be honest, I'm glad it happened. I still want to go back home as soon as I can, but...I don't really mind being here a little longer. And don't worry, I'll give plenty of info once it gets time to leave, so you two can lead in my stead."

"It'll be strange without you around." Henrietta stated. "We've met face to face so few times, yet you're a dominating force in Tristain already...My parents don't know you and New Divide are the same person, but they trust him all the same." She grinned. "Guess they assume any man their little girl is friends with is automatically a good guy."

David laughed. "Or maybe Henri is just smart enough to have figured it out by now. I don't expect it to be a foolproof plan, otherwise Agnes wouldn't have found out about it. It's only meant to be temporary after all."

"Plans change. Don't be so shortsighted, just in case you end up staying." Agnes said, and he sighed.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. Still, I do have other overarching plans I haven't told you guys yet...I have to see if they work out before worrying about them."

"Well, naturally our leader has secrets. Even someone like I do." Agnes stated. "So it's nothing I feel particularly inclined to ask about...Though I do want to know...why did you ask about my reaction?"

He blinked, before his smile fell, and he sighed, staring up at the sky. "Jean Colbert." he said. "That's the name of the man who burned D'Angleterre. And before you get angry, shut up and let me finish. He was also the man who saved your life, after he learned that the rebellion was staged. So he believed he was doing the right thing, and when he realized he was wrong, he betrayed his orders and saved anyone he could...namely, you."

Agnes blinked, before jumping up off the ground, staring down at him, blocking out the sunlight as her hands balled into fists and her expression changed to one of rage. Henrietta scooted away, unsure whether to get involved, while David simply looked up at her face with a blank expression, as if what he'd said wasn't so groundbreaking.

"You...You mean you had this information, and didn't bother telling me?" the knight asked. "D'Angleterre...It was totally destroyed. You knew that, and you know why I chose to become a knight, and yet you're willing to so easily say something like that now?"

"You were stagnating." he simply responded, seemingly unafraid...though inside, he was terrified, and for good reason. He'd directly told her he was worthless in a fight, and here she was towering over him, clearly only a spark away from a fiame, no pun intended. Still, he had no honest reason why he'd decided to tell her. It was a split-second decision and probably s very stupid one, so that just meant he'd have to come up with an equally stupid way to talk her out of attacking him. "When I saw your reaction, I could tell. You hadn't grown past it at all. So I decided to tell you. Now that you have the information, what can you do with it?"

"I can find that man and destroy him for good." Agnes replied through gritted teeth, and he smirked, internally grimacing as he closed his eyes, speaking as calmly as ever.

"And do you actually know who Jean Colbert is?" he asked. "Do you know where he is now, what he is doing, what he's decided to do with his life after that? Do you know what happened to Enjya the Flame Serpent?"

"Of course not, I didn't know his name! Where could he have possibly gone?" she asked. "Why does New Divide decide to give me this information?"

"He's a teacher." And with those three words, her expression completely changed, going from rage, to confusion, to shock, and he smiled, opening his eyes and staring directly into her own as she visibly loosened, and though she was still towering over him, he no longer felt as threatened as he did before by her presence. Henrietta still sat staring at the two, a hand raised halfway in the air in a motion to stop whatever was going on, but she was clearly not brave enough to actually get in between them.

"A...what?" the knight asked, her voice low, and he nodded.

"A teacher. And an excellent one at that. He's spent many years training children to learn to wield their power safely. So tell me, are you willing to kill him and finally get your revenge if it means becoming the enemy of a school full of children, and the children who have grown up and still respect their flame-wielding pacifist Mr. Colbert?"

Agnes' eyes were wide as she backed up several steps, staring at the boy, her mouth moving but unable to actually formulate words.

"People change, Agnes. The best of us can become twisted, the worst of us can find their way again. It's just as important to learn that as it is to become stronger." Well, at least he was managing at least some semblance of a meaningful speech. Better than he expected at least. "So I'll ask again. What do you want to do now? Why are you a knight?"

She was silent for several seconds, before a runaway Explosion cast by Louise knocked her off her feet, sending her sprawling headfirst into David's stomach.

He shouted in pain as Henrietta scrambled to her feet, while Louise ran to them, realizing what her accidental spell had done...It didn't do much damage, but Agnes was barely responsive as the three pushed her off his lap. He'd probably have bruises on his legs from where the joints of her shoulder armor scraped them, but otherwise, he was fine as she sat up, holding her hand to her head, her eyes still as wide as saucers, a few beads of sweat forming on her forehead as she stared at the ground.

"I'm sorry!" Louise said, assuming the reaction was her fault. "It was an accident, I swear! I'll be careful, I know it can be-"

"Louise." Agnes said, interrupting the girl. "Please, just...be quiet. I have a lot to think about right now…"

The girl blinked, staring at her in confusion, before Henrietta smiled, walking to the shorter girl and holding her hands on her shoulders, guiding her around the carriage to the coast-facing side. "Come on, let's let her be alone with David...He's working his own magic on her, everything will be alright." She meant it, too. Henrietta was the type of person with boundless optimism, and she was confident in the Gandalfr's silver tongue, a skill she had not yet mastered, but she was grateful that he seemingly had.

After the two disappeared from sight, David groaned, sitting up and rubbing his thighs where the metal hit them. "That hurt...Stupid Louise, but hey, nothing you can't expect out of her, huh?" he asked.

"David…" Agnes said, and he tilted his head to show he heard her, and he blinked as she lifted her head.

Her eyes weren't wide anymore, but it liquid had begun to form, and he frowned. He knew this would be the next step, but still, he felt kind of bad for managing to be probably only the second person to ever manage to drive her to tears. Seeing someone he considered so strong about to cry really was humbling, even if it was thanks to him that she was like this.

"David, I...I don't know what I should do." she finally said. "I...I hate him, I hate Jean Colbert, but I can't take him away from people who care about him...I don't know how to answer your question...I don't know why I'm a knight!"

He smiled at her response, nodding and speaking as softly as he could. "You're not just a knight. You're a Chevalier. Your duty is to protect Henrietta no matter the circumstance. But duty is not the same as purpose. Your purpose is something only you can decide on. I can't answer that, and no amount of convincing is going to make it change for you. Your inability to decide now is because you had already subconsciously forgiven him, or else you'd have no hesitation with your answer. D'Angleterre may be gone, but you aren't. I'm not going to say some sappy crap like 'it lives in you' because that's lying. Your village is dead. Gone. So I ask a third time, what are you going to do? What is your new purpose? What was your old purpose?"

"I…" She looked down again, before chuckling lightly. "I have no idea. I will follow my duty as always, but...I don't have a clue what to do now that I don't have a goal to work for."

"Boooring." David said, and she looked up in surprise at the statement as he held a hand to his mouth in a fake yawn. "That's not the Agnes I know. The Agnes I know is decisive and always knows exactly what she wants. The Agnes I know is strong, in both body and mind. She doesn't let a little thing like revenge get in the way of her rational thought."

"...You've told me a lot, but can I ask something else?" she asked, and he blinked as she stared directly at him, wiping her armored hand across her face in an effort to clear off her eyes. "Is there a reason why you let me join New Divide? It can't be just because of my status, I know you didn't pick the princess for that reason either…"

"Of course not, that's a shallow reason to choose a secret agent. Henrietta's not part of the project because of her political power, though having it is definitely a benefit. Same for you. Letting you join wasn't a random decision and it wasn't forced by you discovering it, I did think carefully over it. I probably am not entirely right in my assumptions and plans involving you, but hey, I'm only human. So, to answer your question...I think you're worth getting to know, basically." He smiled. "Remember what I said, back when you were taking us back to the academy from Tristania?"

"...That you thought I was lesbian?" she asked, and he laughed sheepishly, tapping the corner of his mouth and shifting his eyes away from her.

"No...the other thing." he replied, and she smiled.

"I know, I was joking. You told me I was one of the few nobles you respected." she stated, and he smiled in return.

"That's it. And it still holds true. You're still among only a handful I can really truly trust."

Last time he'd said such a thing to her, he was certain he'd been only imagining her blushing, but now, it was obvious on her face as she stood up, coughing into her hand in an effort to regain her thoughts.

"Well, if that's the case, then…" She smiled, a genuine one this time, and held out a fist. "My new purpose is to protect New Divide. My sword is the princess's, but my heart will be yours."

She managed to say such a thing in as close to a soldier's tone as she could manage while her face was a tomato, and he grinned, standing up and returning the fist bump.

"You don't have to go that far." he said. "Henrietta has your sword, I don't mind settling for just having your back."


	85. Mission Briefing

Things were, in a word, awkward after their short break ended and the carriage began to move again. Louise's constant apologies and Agnes' replies that the misfire had been an accident dominated the remainder of the ride, with Henri asking his daughter what had happened while he'd been asleep. It took some time to explain Louise's status as a void mage, but luckily the man understood what she was talking about, even voicing his own suspicions on Adolphe de la Valliere's history.

"A man who would destroy a village indiscriminately could never be a Chevalier. His being a void mage is indisputable, but I doubt that King Louis III would choose such a man. The royal records of that man made him sound unstable already, and Louis was an intelligent man. It may have been a thousand years since then, but I can't imagine society has changed so much that they'd have allowed such a person to be so close to the king." he said, crossing his arms as his wife turned to Agnes, smiling in her usual motherly way.

"It was a good decision to choose you to protect our daughter, Agnes." she said. "You have the same level-headed nature and strong grip on your weapon as my own Chevalier, Karin de la Valliere, possesses. Hmm, I wonder how she's doing now?"

Louise huffed at the question. "Ignoring her daughters as she always does, I wouldn't be surprised if she's not even at the estate right now."

Marianne frowned at the statement. "Really? Oh, that's right, I'd forgotten she settled down after dear Eleanore was born. Perhaps I'm beginning to forget things in my age."

Henri laughed, a hearty sound that was more characteristic of the man as he wrapped an arm around her neck. "You're only 50, you don't have that excuse yet! Eleanore is older than our own daughter, after all."

David blinked. "How old are you, anyway, Henrietta?" he asked. "I was guessing 17, but I'm guessing that's wrong…"

The purple-haired girl laughed at his question. "Does your world not consider asking a girl that wrong?" she asked. "You were close, I'm 19 since four months ago, before you came here."

He blinked, counting back in his head. "So you were a December child?" he asked, and she nodded.

"December 25th, specifically. Does that mean anything special for your world?" she replied, and he laughed.

"Born on Christmas, how funny...I don't think you have any concept of Christmas, but it's a pretty important day in my world. It was originally a religious holiday, but it's since become more general."

She blinked in surprise. "Oh, really? And is your birthday on such a special day?"

He laughed and waved his hand. "June 10th is nothing important, so no. It's not like every day means something, it's probably just coincidence you were born then. Still, in this world it means nothing so it's a moot point. A day is just a day."

"But it's interesting to talk about anyway, isn't it? I mean, we have plenty of time before we get to the port."

"Two hours from here, according to the driver." Agnes said. "Your Majesty, was there any actual planning involved in any of this? Leaving in the middle of the night in a small carriage…"

"Just refer to us using our named, Agnes." Henri said. "Considering that there's three or four people here who could go by that honorific."

She blinked, before her face flushed sheepishly. "R-Right...I was speaking to you, King Henri."

He grinned. "That's better. It's quite nice to be in a more normal position for a change. Being in the palace ruling from a distance is so stuffy sometimes, it's no wonder Henrietta enjoys breaking out every so often."

Henrietta blushed. "Y-You know about that?!" she asked incredulously, and he laughed.

"I don't think it's easy to miss a cloaked figure exiting the princess's window every week, it's almost as obvious as all those messages you've been getting. I assume they're mostly from this boy?" he said, motioning to David, before turning to him as Henrietta failed to answer, too in shock at the revelation that her escape efforts were already discovered. "You said you were an agent of this 'New Divide' who has been helping us recently, correct? Is that how you were able to defeat Fouquet of the Crumbling Earth?"

David blinked, before nodding. "That's right. He gives me information and I relay it to various people who are part of it...I don't think he wants you or Marianne to be connected though, at least not yet...Things might change though after this negotiations meeting."

"So he'll be watching?" Marianne asked, and he nodded as Louise listened in, being the one who knew the least about the plan of the six in the carriage.

"He will, though he won't be revealing himself for a long time if at all. He's also working on finding a covert solution to the Reconquista problem, which will probably come based on the result of the meeting...By the way, how is it supposed to be set up? Louise and I have never been bodyguards before…"

"Separating each of us to speak with one agent each, most likely. That way we can find multiple solutions based on individual understanding. We'll decide who goes where when we get there." Agnes stated, reciting the mission report. "We're being taken there on a privateer airship that is evidently connected somehow to the ruling family, so it's probably a good idea to be aware of any potential threats until we actually land in Albion. We can't ignore the possibility that this is a trap, since King Henri is also a member of the Tudor family...that's why we had you two come along, David and Louise."

"What, why us? Do they know that I'm a void mage?" Louise asked. "Even I didn't!"

Agnes nodded. "They already know, because their leader, Oliver Cromwell, is also one and is aware of you, at least according to our spies there. We've been preparing for this since before New Divide came on the scene after all."

"That's smart, having multiple plans is a good idea. If it becomes necessary, I'll message him. I have a faster system than pigeons after all." He reached in his pocket and pulled out his phone. It was long since out of battery, but it was a good decoy anyway. "I can use this to get in contact with him instantly. It's a device from my world that can communicate with anyone in the world in less than a second."

"...That's pretty useful. How is it run?" Louise asked, and he shrugged.

"A burst of electricity is needed, so I have to find a generator of some kind to use it for more than communicating with him alone...He has a special connection to me that allows me to use it without electricity."

"Electricity? That's a high level of magic to be using to power something…" Marianne said, and he shook his head, pushing open the tab on the bottom of the phone to show the charging port.

"Electricity goes in here and it powers the device. It's not magic, it's just technology. Think...actually, I can't think of any similar thing here."

"It's like a wireless rune system." Henrietta said, and the other mages nodded in understanding, while David blinked in surprise.

"...Wireless?" he asked. "Uhh...If you don't mind me asking, how the heck do you know what 'wireless' means?" Louise using the phrase 'dropping bombshells' was one thing, but blatantly mentioning technology they were nowhere near developing was something he had to ask about.

Henrietta blinked and looked at him. "...It's just an expression, I don't know where it came from. Does it mean something?"

"Wires have only existed for less than two centuries in my world, I can't imagine yours has any concept of them."

"Wires? I always assumed it was just a word on its own, not that it was referring to 'wires'..." Henrietta said. "Isn't that how your phone is powered?"

He'd explained somewhat how phones worked in their letters, so he wasn't as surprised by that. It was just the fact that the others understood her that was surprising...and a little worrying. He knew there were Earth residents living in this world, but there couldn't be phrases that are commonly used coming from them, could there?

"So our worlds may be more connected than previously thought.." Agnes mused. "Is New Divide looking into that? After all, it's unreasonable to assume you're the only person from your world to come to Alfheim."

"Alfheim? Is that what you call your world?" he asked. "I thought it was Halkeginia…"

"...Halkeginia is the continent, not the world. Do you call your continent 'Earth'?"

"No, the continent I live on is called North America...I see your point."


	86. The Masked Captain

Seeing the royal family dressed in commoner clothing was odd, especially considering that in doing so, it made him and Agnes seem like the nobles, but it was their duties as the knights of the group to protect the others, even if it did look a little weird.

Still, it wasn't all that unusual. Similar entourages were meandering around the streets of La Rochelle, a larger town than he'd expected it to be. Then again, it was the most major port connecting to Albion, so it made sense. Still, even despite it being a Gallian city and there being other obvious nobles around, it was only natural to disguise the royal family. Technically this was trespassing since they hadn't announced their arrival, so they had to be careful.

He did get a few stares, not that it was very unusual, with him wearing his guitar case over his back and opting to simply carry Derf's sheath in his hand. It probably looked ridiculous, but it was easier than carrying the unwieldy case around and wearing Derf. He probably looked ridiculous dressed in his hoodie and jeans next to the actual knight on the opposite side of the group.

"Where exactly are we going?" he asked, and Henri replied from his position at the front of the 'commoner' group.

"We're going to The Siren. It's a bar nearby. That's where we'll meet the captain of the ship we'll be taking."

So he'd at least planned that far. That was good, and he was curious what an airship captain was like. Considering they didn't have to worry about waves or water other than rain, it probably was easier...though there was the added difficulty of vertical motion too.

Ship mechanics aside, Agnes seemed to know where she was going, so he fell behind to the back to let her lead them, while he made up the tail end of the party behind Louise and Henrietta, the former of which was looking around curiously. Come to think of it, had Louise EVER left Tristain?

"This place is similar to Versailles." he said aloud. "Lot of shops, and I think I saw an elf just now…"

Louise binked, turning to face him. "A-An elf?!" she asked in surprise, and he shrugged.

"Apparently they're pretty well-liked in Gallia. It was a surprise to me too."

Henrietta smiled at the conversation. "Gallia is known for being inclusive to anyone coming into its borders. It's bordered by every other Halkeginian nation and has the best access to Albion after all, it only makes sense."

"Well, I suppose you're right about that, and I have heard they're pretty lax on immigration laws...It's a big country, it's logical to want to fill it with people."

The port city was fairly large, but that was by this world's standards. In reality it only took a few minutes to get to The Siren, the group filing in and standing aside while Henri looked around for the person they were supposed to meet up with.

It wasn't very difficult. There weren't many people here, and one in particular was easy to notice as he quite literally jumped out of his seat, performing a small dance before striking a pose pointing to the group as the men of various sizes and muscle mass sitting near him simply ignored him, clearly used to such a reaction.

The man himself was built small, and David towered over him as he did most people in this world, but the grin on his face and twinkle in his eyes made it clear that he didn't care that he was almost as short as Henrietta.

He was dressed in a navy blue sailor's uniform, an actual one and not like the anime school outfits, with a triangular hat on his head and tufts of sandy blond hair sticking out from under the accessory, and a featureless white half-mask with a small beak at the end covered the features around his eyes and nose, making him seem like a bird in his appearance. The way he stood was that of someone younger, probably around Henrietta's age, which surprised David. He'd expected the captain of a ship to be a grizzled old soldier or something. Anything was possible, apparently.

"You've made it!" the man said, laughing at Agnes' startled reaction to his introduction. "It's good to see you all, I hope you've had a safe trip!"

Henri stepped forward, smiling at the man. "As flamboyant as your reputation suggests." he replied. "I'm surprised that an Albion privateer would be so willing to speak publicly."

The captain grinned, waving his hands out to his sides and practically shouting to the sky. "I am proud of my status and have no desire to hide it! There is no shame in taking from pirates for the honor of Albion!"

"And which side are you supporting?" Marianne asked, to which the man lowered his hands and looked at her, his eyes narrowing briefly, a motion David caught, but his tone didn't change at all in his reply.

"The _Eagle_ is impartial to the war!" he replied. "We fight for Albion, regardless of who is in the throne!"

"Captain, would you shut up? We're trying to play a game." called one of his crewmembers, a burly man shuffling a deck of cards. "Nobody cares about your baseless devotion. Just give a straight answer to these people, it's not like it matters who you are considering they're in the same boat as you, literally."

The captain blinked at the man's sharp tongue, before chuckling, closing his eyes and pinching the beak of the half-mask with two fingers. "I have a theme going here, I can't be revealing my identity willy-nilly, even to these good people of Tristain."

"Minerva's going to be pissed when she finds out you stole her mask again." someone else said, and the man blanched, before laughing hesitantly.

"W-Well...She isn't here right now, she's busy toying with Reconquista. Let me have my fun, guys!"

David sweatdropped at the interaction, while the others were simply uncertain how to react. _And so the facade falls apart...Who is this idiot?_

The captain coughed into his fist and turned back to face the group. "A-Anyway, ignore all that! We've got some time before the crew back at the _Eagle_ have prepped for launch, so why not sit with us? I'm sure you're all tired from your trip!"

David glanced at Louise, who was clearly nervous at the prospect of sitting near the crewmembers, most of whom stared at them with a range from curiosity to disappointment, along with the obligatory confusion at David's guitar case, while the rest were too focused on their card game to care, simply shifting as the group filed in.

David moved in so Louise wouldn't have to sit directly next to the odd captain, who looked to his side at the boy as Henrietta sat at the end of the table next to her childhood friend.

"You're that kid who took down Fouquet, aren't you?" he asked, and David blinked.

"Uh...I had a lot of help, but I guess so. How did you know?" At the question, the man laughed, grabbing a mug half-filled with some alcoholic beverage and downing the rest in one gulp. At least that explained why he was so excitable, he was probably incredibly drunk.

"Fouquet was a thorn in Albion's side for so long, it's great someone finally got rid of her! We're a sea-based crew, so it's not easy to track someone who mostly travels by land. And to be honest...I was completely guessing. I had no idea you were the kid who beat her!" He laughed heartily at David's deer-in-headlights look, raising his mug up in the air above the table. "Seems we've got another bigshot travelling with us! Cheers for my new best friend!" David blinked in surprise as the captain wrapped his free hand around his shoulder, pulling him close and laughing as the other crew who were paying attention cheered. They really did seem like a pirate crew now, if they hadn't before.

Then again, being pinned to a very drunk man's side wasn't exactly pleasant, especially since he was forced to bend over to match his height.

"Please help me." he begged, turning his head to the girls next to him, though he knew help wouldn't come at their reactions, Louise's face one of pure confusion, and Henrietta attempting not to burst into a giggling fit at the sight.

Oh, well. At least the guy didn't smell too bad.


	87. The Captain's Secret

The privateer crew knew how to party, and despite having already been docked for several days before the Tristain group came, they drank right to the end, though the captain himself had sobered up enough to guide them back to the ship. He still insisted on wearing the mask despite the chance of 'Minerva' getting angry for it, and in a small motion that would normally seem nothing unusual, he lowered his hat over his face as the passengers boarded.

"David." he said, his voice lower than the loudmouth he'd been just a few hours before, and the boy turned his head, being the closest to him as they walked. "When everyone else is heading to bed, meet me on the stern. I hope you know enough about ships to know where that is."

The Gandalfr nodded, uncertain what he was wanted for, and the man smiled, before laughing loudly, setting his hands on his hips.

"Alright, everyone! It's kind of a bad time for setting sail since Albion is at its farthest, so all of you should get a good rest! We'll be landing in Nanishi in three days, so I hope none of you get airsick! There's no stops between here and Albion after all unless you want to go straight down to the ocean!"

He laughed again as the group groaned, while his own crew guided them and got to their positions.

~~~Several hours later~~~

It as past midnight before everyone was settled down and asleep, in somewhat awkward positioning since the ship was intended as a cargo vessel, meaning that all six had to share four bunks. Naturally Henri and Marianne slept together, while Louise and Henrietta shared upon Henrietta's request, and thankfully Agnes and David were able to sleep in their own, or else things would probably get awkward.

Still, even the knight was asleep now, tired after the carriage ride and the revelations that occurred by the Red River, meaning he could go through with the captain's request, sneaking out of the room and finding his way to the deck.

Outside, the ship was quiet but for the occasional order given by a bored crewmember to the ones directing the ship, meaning it was easy to spot the man leaning over the railing at the stern, looking out at the decreasing line of La Rochelle.

David walked beside him, leaning with his back to the railing and his arms crossed, having set away his guitar case and Derf near his bunk. "You wanted to talk to me?" he asked, and the man looked to his side.

"Yes. I have some concerns, I'd like another man my age to lend an ear if that's alright with you." he replied, and David chuckled.

"I see...That's fine by me, go ahead and shoot."

The captain smiled, before frowning again, holding his hand on the nose bridge of his mask. "I can tell you're more observant than you look. What did you think when you first saw this mask? Be honest, please. I don't like liars."

David sighed, but resolved to be true to his word, at least with this man who was helping them. "I thought it wasn't an accident that you had it, and you didn't just steal it spur of the moment. You have a reason, don't you?"

The man blinked, before nodding, standing straight and facing him. "It's because of Henrietta. I didn't want her to see my face, so I decided to hide it wit this...but since you're not her and you are simply guarding her, I felt I could trust you with the knowledge." He pulled the cover off, sighing as he blinked a few times. "I am Wa-"

"Wales Tudor, Prince of Albion." David replied, nearly immediately. He was surprised, but that face was one he could instantly recognize...and on further thought, it made total sense for Wales to do something like run a pirate ship.

The man's eyes widened in surprise, before he sighed, looking at the mask in his hand. "So you recognize me...Then do you know why I wish to hide from her?"

"Because you love her and don't want her to worry about you going off fighting pirates all over the place." An obvious answer even if he didn't have prior knowledge.

"Y-Yes, but…" The man looked down, his cheeks flushed at the blatant statement, and David laughed, waving a hand and leaning back to look up at the sky. Without light pollution like on Earth, the sky was filled with stars and the light from the two moons. It just went to show how different this world was, without the giant dust clouds of the center of the Milky Way splashed across the night.

"But you're cousins and therefore not eligible for marriage. Personally I don't give a crap about incest, but legally it can't be allowed, since there are many other options for keeping the royal bloodline intact. That's how this world's politics go, isn't it?"

"This world's? Are you not a resident of this world?" Wales asked in confusion, and he nodded.

"My name's David Wilson. I'm a citizen of the United States of America, on Earth. I was sent here to become Louise de la Valliere's familiar. Things are more complex than that, but let it just be said that I have no opinion on the path this civil war is taking. I don't know enough about your family, and I've not seen much good in the Reconquista's motives."

The prince looked down at the wood deck, before smiling sadly. "Their methods are questionable, but they have good intentions in mind. They want to free Albion from monarchy and turn it into a republic...It's unprecedented in Halkeginia, but I honestly don't know if it's even such a bad thing anymore…"

David frowned. "I don't care who is the king or president or whatever, but I don't think you should be like that. They're systematically assassinating your family, you should at least have a sense of self-preservation. I don't think Henrietta would want you to go off and die just because you weren't sure you were on the right side."

"...Heh, you really have a sharp tongue, you know that?" he asked, scratching his head. "Henrietta wouldn't want it, huh...She really should forget about me. I dearly want to be with her, but it's impossible. She would be better off with some commoner than with-"

His eyes went wide as a loud smack echoed across the deck, and David's glare and raised hand made it clear what happened.

"I don't care who you are or what you think your life is worth. If you haven't noticed, this isn't just about you. You're acting as if Henrietta's desires are something you can control. Give yourself more credit, Wales. Henrietta fully understands the risks involved, and yet she still cares about you. That's the kind of person she is. She hates seeing people in pain, but I can guarantee you that she would rather lose her own life than see you in a sorry state like that. Things are bad now, yes, but I will tell you with absolute confidence that this world is changing. Reconquista is not the only threat, nor is it the most dangerous. A kingdom is its people, and the crowd mentality is shifting. Perhaps Reconquista is right. Perhaps they're wrong. Maybe it's just a hiccup in society that'll fade into obscurity in a few decades. Maybe it's the sign that a huge shift is going to happen. Who are we to say? So stop acting like it all is revolving around you. Stop trying to push away the people you love just because you think you'll die. That type of mindset is what destroyed whole civilizations in my world, toppled empires, and started wars. So shut up, suck it up, and find a different solution."

The man stared at him in shock, his hand touching the sore spot on his cheek, before sighing, turning around to look over the railing again.

"David Wilson, is that right?" he asked, and at the boy's nod, he chuckled. "I've never seen someone brave enough to slap a prince when he was being stupid. You've got a special kind of determination...I see that you're not just talk. I confess, I already knew about you and your connection to this world. Henrietta's sent me reports on New Divide's movements for a while. It seems she was planning things separate from you, if you weren't aware. She still doesn't know that Wales and the captain of this ship are the same person, but I am a full-fledged member of the plan as well."

He smiled, standing straight again and holding a hand out to the boy. "So, I suppose I should say, thank you for the pep talk, and it's an honor to meet the man who will change the world. Was that whole speech of yours related to that?"

Daavid blinked, sweatdropping as he took the prince's hand in a handshake, which felt odd considering that recently he'd been more often doing fist bumps with people. "Er...no, that was actually a genuine rant, New Divide's purpose isn't to do anything as grandiose as that...I'll probably have to talk to her about you being involved though."

The man's smile turned a bit forced. "Would you mind not yelling too much at her? Because, you know…" He trailed off, and David laughed, breaking from the handshake.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad at her. I fully expected her to introduce others to it, I'm actually surprised she didn't tell me yet about you knowing...Still, I trust her judgement, so if she thinks you can be trusted with knowledge of the plan, then I'm not going to argue. I'll let you and her get along in peace...Personally, I think you'd make a cute couple!"


	88. Wales Tudor

**Song Used: All We Are by OneRepublic**

* * *

The conversation the night before made David feel inspired, and now he silently thanked Marianne for reminding him to bring his guitar, as now he stood leaning on the main mast of the ship, testing the strings as it had been a while since the last time he'd played.

Well, not all that long, but he hadn't even practiced much since getting back from Versailles, so it was good to get going again. He already had a song picked, not that he really cared if anyone listened. Sometimes he liked to play for himself after all.

"I tried to paint you a picture, the colors were all wrong. Black and white didn't fit you and all along you were shaded with patience, your strokes of everything that I need just to make it, but I can see that Lord knows I failed you time and again, but you and me are alright."

As he often did when doing these practice songs, he closed his eyes, letting the music flow into his mind and shutting off his awareness, entering the world of music that he enjoyed being in. He didn't even notice the constant vibration caused by the ship's movement anymore, and felt none of the slight seasickness he'd felt when he went to bed after the conversation with Wales.

"We won't say our goodbyes. You know it's better that way. We won't break, we won't die. It's just a moment of change. All we are, all we are is everything that's right. All we need, all we need, a lover's alibi."

This was a song that fit the canon Wales very well, but hopefully things would be different this time around. New Divide still had a few months before its planned ending during the eclipse, and he would do what he could to keep Wales alive in that time. He was sincere when he said he liked him and Henrietta being together, it was a fitting pairing from what he knew of the man...and maybe it would keep Derf quiet, considering the sword still sometimes voiced its opinion on its OTP.

"I walked a minute in your shoes. They never would've fit. I figured there's nothing to lose. I need to get some perspective on these words before I write them down. You're an island and my ship has run aground. Lord knows I'll fail you time and again, but you and me are alright."

Wales had been so vehement on her falling for someone else other than him, but it was obvious to the Gandalfr that he was lying to himself. The prince wanted her to be with him, he couldn't stand the thought of losing her. Even David, who had no such romantic feelings for anyone as far as he was aware of, knew exactly how the man thought. So, he'd do what he could to give him what he wanted. He was just one guy who barely understood the politics of this world, but he could still do what he could to play the system. That was New Divide's duty after all. No grandiose plans, no desire to shape the world...but when he felt like it he could be nosy and manipulate events. This was one he wanted to change. He may not have any romantic feelings for Henrietta, but he still didn't want to see her reaction to Wales dying...though maybe that could be avoided since the letter mission wouldn't be happening.

He couldn't even remember what triggered that, but he had a feeling it was a moot point after this negotiation, whatever the result may be.

"We won't say our goodbyes. You know it's better that way. We won't break, we won't die. It's just a moment of change. All we are, all we are is everything that's right. All we need, all we need, a lover's alibi."

"Every single day that I can breathe, you change my philosophy. I'm never gonna let you pass me by. So don't say your goodbyes, you know it's better that way. We won't break, we won't die. It's just a moment of change, yeah, ooh, ooh."

This was quite the energetic song to be singing considering the thoughts on his mind, but it still was nice to use a louder song than the usual. The last few times had been darker and lower-pitched ones, a nice upbeat one was a good morale boost too. He knew he'd need it for this meeting, especially since he had a bad feeling Wardes would be there.

He wondered what Wardes would do. Was he going to reveal his identity? Surely he wasn't that stupid, he probably would be in disguise, especially with Louise here, who knew what he looked like even if Henrietta didn't too.

"So don't say your goodbyes. You know it's better that way. We won't break, we won't die. It's just a moment of change. All we are, all we are is everything that's right. All we need, all we need, a lover's alibi."

As he hit the climax of the song, he smiled, strumming the final few keys and lowering the instrument, breathing deeply before opening his eyes, returning back to the conscious world.

He blinked as he found what could only be described as a gathering of people around the mast, comprised of the group he'd come with and Wales' crew, the captain himself sitting near the front, his arms crossed and half-mask on as usual.

The Gandalfr grinned sheepishly at the audience. "Er...was I too loud?" he asked, looking around at the silent observers, before Wales stood up, grinning at him.

"I think they're stunned silent. We rarely get any music on here, it's a nice confidence boost for us. It helps with our duty...and it's a bit more high-priority than usual, considering we're tasked with keeping a whole royal family and their guards safe. It's a duty almost too much for us pirates!"

"Pirates sanctioned by the Albion government to attack other pirates." Henri reminded him, and he laughed, performing his little dance that he'd done when they first met him.

"A pirate is a pirate, no matter who they may work for. We are free to sail where we wish, be it Albion or Gallia or Tristain! Up here high in the air, there are no borders and no governments, just us and the sky! That's the life of a pirate, and so here, our ties to Albion mean nothing!"

"Yet we're still getting paid a lot to transport these people, so you should at least acknowledge some barriers." came a female voice, and the captain blinked as a woman appeared next to him, her arms crossed as she glared at him. The woman was nothing like the men of the crew, her dark green hair carefully kept in a neat ponytail, and she was dressed in a tight-fitting white fabric dress extending past her knees...Odd choice of wear for a pirate, but it was clear she was a part of the crew from the looks on the crew members' faces...and the sheer terror on Wales'.

"M-Minerva…" he said, and the woman's glare didn't fade.

"Why do you insist on stealing my stuff all the time? First my hat, then my mask, are you going to take my favorite dress next time?"

The captain waved his hands in front of him, stepping back, his eyes wide at the accusation. "Hey, I'm not some deviant! Masks are cool, that's all!"

"Then use your own, you freak!" she said, before crossing her arms. "Or did you lose it again? Why do you insist on breaking your own stuff and then taking mine?"

"..." Wales sighed, lowering his arms to his sides in defeat and looking at the ground. "...Because you're the only one whose facial structure fits mine…" he admitted, and she sighed, rolling her eyes.

"It's sad that the only female on this crew fits your face." she replied. "But, whatever, I really don't feel like dealing with your nonsense on this trip. Too much else to handle since you're not competent enough to lead more than one ship."

The man blinked as Minerva turned to face David, who stood unsure what to do, still holding his guitar. "You there. You're the Gandalfr we've heard about, aren't you? I want to see your fighting style, so duel this idiot captain. I don't trust this whole negotiations meeting thing, so I want to know that we're putting such high-priority passengers in good hands once we get on the island."

David was about to response, but he was interrupted as Henri stood up to face the woman. "I enjoy a lively crew, but I don't want to hear people ordering my knights around." the king said, his expression harder than the usual happy daze he was always in. "David isn't as experienced as Agnes, but he is still a perfectly capable warrior. Your concerns are understandable, but unnecessary."

Minerva's eyes narrowed at the man, before she waved a hand, turning around to walk towards the raised surface housing the entrance to the barracks. "Fine. Do what you wish, we of the _Eagle_ are neutral in this conflict. That means you can't blame us if someone gets killed. I suggest you be careful, even with your confidence in your guards. James Tudor is a tricky man, and Oliver Cromwell is impossible to predict."


	89. Welcome to Albion

"I don't like that woman." Louise said as the Tristain passengers sat in their bunks, David tuning his guitar idly as they listened to her complaints. "Something's not right about her. There's no way she isn't hiding something."

"Not everyone's an enemy in disguise, Louise." David said, catching the attention of the New Divide members especially with the statement. "I can't say I trust her or not, because I know so little about her, but going by my gut, I don't think we have to worry. She's what we on Earth call a 'tsundere'. She's rough around the edges, but I can tell that she's just looking out for everyone. It's understandable, I doubt every trip on this ship is as peaceful as this one has been. She's probably seen things we can't describe." He looked sideways at Agnes. "Well, most of us, anyway."

The pinkette crossed her arms. "You're too trusting. You're supposed to be some legendary familiar, aren't you? Shouldn't you have some ability to detect if people are good or not?"

The boy looked at her with a bewildered expression. "That isn't even remotely what the Brimiric familiars are for!" he exclaimed. "We function as shields so that the void mage can cast their spells. As far as I know from my research, that's really their only purpose...and Gandalfr is geared for combat. Its only skill is in controlling weaponry, and I doubt any of the others are able to read someone's mind."

"So basically, you're just there for fighting, and to protect me." she said, a look on confusion on her face, and he sighed.

"Close enough. Obviously there's some degree of freedom, but as far as I can tell that's more determined by the will of the familiar than on them being human."

"Like the will of Sasha within you." Casper's voice said in his mind, and he smiled.

 _I wouldn't go that far, but yes. You're here too?_

"I have a bad feeling about this meeting, so I've sent three wind clones to defend you if it becomes necessary...Wardes is a wind-affiliated mage, so i'll have to be careful, but I think I can handle the others."

 _Don't hurt Sheffield. I have plans for her._

"I can keep no promises, New Divide. I will do what is best for your survival."

Henrietta wrapped an arm around her childhood friend's shoulder to calm her down. "Louise, David doesn't know how everything works. It's pointless to keep pressing, it can't be explained any better than it already has. You aren't the only curious one, we all want to know what's going on. I know superstition isn't a realistic system, but I have a feeling it wasn't just random luck that the Void has resurfaced in you."

"Whatever is going on, it's clear that the world is changing." Agnes said. "Albion has not had any sort of conflict in centuries, and for the Void to come back in Tristain at the same time...I know it may be a death flag, but I can't help but imagine things aren't going to go well in the future.

"So many people are saying that recently…" Marianne said worriedly. "Cardinal Mazarin said the same thing when we announced that we were leaving…"

"And other agents of New Divide are telling me things like that." David said, grateful that he'd made up the cover of him being a spy for the plan rather than the leader himself. "I don't know if I see it myself, but it's clear there's something going on...I just hope that everyone's assumptions are wrong."

 _It might set back my own knowledge of the future, but at this point it's not really helping much anyway. It would be good to end things peacefully before I leave…_

Still, it was probably too good to be true. Minerva's mini-rant earlier had been accurate. He knew nothing about James Tudor, and Cromwell was an impossible force to predict. He was insane after all, and with Sheffield having rune trouble, her control over him wasn't entirely trustworthy. The man was a loose cannon. If anything, all these death flags were only supported the more he thought about it.

He doubted Wales had a target on his back like in the canon, at least this time. He would personally make sure the prince survives, and letting him live may be the trigger he needed to bring about a real end to this conflict.

He wanted to go home, but now, things were happening earlier than expected. Perhaps he'd be able to solve this war within the few months before the eclipse.

Of course, as of now he still had many loose ends he needed to think of solutions for, and try as he might, he could think of nothing that wouldn't rely on the result of this meeting. He'd just have to sit back, wait, and hope things turned out alright.

David looked at his left hand, dropping from the conversation as the others talked amongst themselves.

Those two words spoken by an ignorant crow were starting to look more and more like an ominous message extending much farther than just its secretive master. _Runes burn._

Perhaps it wasn't just referring to Sheffield after all. Maybe his own disobedience was part of this.

He wasn't much for metaphors, but it was like the magic itself was being affected.

~~~Two Days Later~~~

Surprisingly, but thankfully for everyone involved, the remainder of the ship ride passed without incident. Even Minerva only appeared every so often to yell at the poor captain for some meaningless rule break that only she appeared to care about.

Now, however, they had finally made it to the island, landing at Nanishi, a port on the north side, which seemed to be a fairly large city for the area it was in, nestled in a valley between the mountains that made up much of Albion's landmass.

As the _Eagle_ crew worked on tying the ship down, Wales, Minerva, and the Tristainians walked down the gangplank set out for leaving, the group dressed in their commoner cloaks save for David and Agnes as usual, standing to either side of them as the privateers stood in front of them, Minerva with arms crossed and the usual sour expression on her face.

"We're not going any farther than this, but you should know how to get to Londinium from here. Get a carriage if you want, but it's only a day's walk since the island's so small. Good luck to you all...especially you, Gandalfr. You seem too scrawny to me to be an effective fighter, but I've been surprised before."

With that odd pseudo-compliment, the two turned to walk around them, heading back to the ship, the captain sharing a nod with David as he passed by.

"Keep her safe." he whispered, and the boy replied back in kind.

"I will. See you there."


	90. Wardes Arrives

It was two hours into the walk to Londinium before Agnes was the first to realize the group were being following, signalling to stop and turning around to face behind them.

"I know you're there. Show yourself." she ordered, and as she'd expected, the wind suddenly started to blow, revealing the form of a tall man dressed in a navy blue uniform that seemed a lot like something from the Three Musketeers. It was immediately obvious to David who it was, though the featureless white mask covering the entirety of his face seemed to prevent any recognition from anyone else...Were they really not familiar with his usual outfit? He even had his magic sword in plain sight at his waist!

Perhaps Wardes wasn't as smart as he'd taken him for, to not even bother changing his outfit.

The man chuckled, rubbing the brim of his hat with two fingers. "My apologies. I simply felt it would be good to watch you and make sure you actually make it there...Can't have a third of the party missing for the meeting, can we?"

David's hand instinctively went to Derf's handle, a motion that was caught by Henrietta and her father, but the women were more focused on the man who had appeared in front of them.

"He's with Reconquista." David said through gritted teeth. "And I have a personal thing against this guy."

The man's back stiffened slightly, before relaxing. "Well, it's quite an honor to be recognized by the Gandalfr." he replied. "But I am not here to battle any of you, nor am I any sort of assassin. As you can see, even a magicless knight was able to detect me even with my wind clone. I am simply here as an escort, that is all."

"We can find our way without help." Henri said, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I have been to Londinium many times, and I'm well aware of the meeting place's location."

Wardes tsked in disappointment. "Come now, the purpose of this meeting is to establish trust between rival groups. I am well aware of your difficult to convince nature, but I am sincere in my words. There is no hidden motivation for me to be here. In fact, the other members don't even know I came here. This is simply a wind clone I have sent. You can easily dispel it with a basic attack."

Henri still didn't seem convinced, but having little reason to defy the man, he simply turned around and continued walking. "Attack any of us and this meeting is called off." he growled.

"Of course, Your Highness." Wardes said, bowing to the man, before holding his hand up to adjust his mask on his face. It was probably uncomfortable, considering it was completely flat..Either it was very thick or it had no nose piece.

As the group continued, Wardes fell in line with David, walking beside him outside the party. "So...You must be the Gandalfr I've heard so much about. Our spies have sung your praises for a while now."

"I'm just the familiar. Shouldn't the void mage be better known?"

"Not when the familiar is actually actively fighting. Does your master even know she's a void mage yet?"

It irritated him that the man could insult Louise so calmly, hidden behind that mask. Sure he didn't like Louise much himself, but Wardes had known her since she was a child. Maybe he didn't have any sort of romantic feeling for her despite being her fiance, but still, he could at least try to hold his tongue, especially since Louise was within earshot and visibly uncomfortable with the exchange.

"Of course she does. You think she'd be a good guard if she didn't know what she's capable of?" the boy asked, and the man chuckled.

"A woman, a boy, and a child. Interesting choice of guards you have here. Not that I'm trying to be demeaning or anything, I'm well aware of Agnes' skills after all, and you have been showing your mettle quite a lot since you came here...and I can't knock Louise's skills off until I've seen them, she could very well be the strongest of you three."

The man began humming to himself as a way to pass the time as they walked, the rest of the trip spent in silence, punctuated by the occasional suspicious glance from David or Henri.

~~~A few hours later~~~

Walking through Londinium wasn't nearly as interesting as David thought it would be. They were going through the political district, so there weren't any shops or anything of interest except government buildings, and though the signs in front were written in English (or Albionian, technically), the names of the buildings were written in the runic alphabet, which David still had not yet memorized...Learning a new language was hard after all, and learning written symbols so different from his own was only worse. It didn't help that he didn't really need it since it was a magic language, which he had no use for. Still, he did notice a few scattered mannaz runes written in odd places, clearly carved later than the building...Did Sheffield have control of the area already? What was the deal with them?

There he was again, making assumptions based on his knowledge of the series. Just because Sheffield was the only character in the canon shown to use such symbols, especially the mannaz rune, didn't mean she was the only one. If anything, it was probably more common here than on the mainland. After all, the entire island was a magic hotspot due to the windstones keeping it floating.

Still, as they walked, the runes got thicker, placed closer together than before. If it wasn't Sheffield, it was something else relating to the region. Maybe they had a different meaning from an aerial view, but there was also the possibility that it was simply someone screwing around with a knife. They weren't very well-done, just some lines cut into the stone buildings.

Wait, why was he worrying about a runic spell? It didn't matter, while he didn't trust Reconquista's intentions, he couldn't just be suspicious of everything they did. He didn't even know how or why he'd noticed the runes in the first place, or why the few other people meandering around the streets didn't seem to pay the slightest bit of attention to them.

It was only five more minutes before they made their way to what seemed to be a regular house, nestled in the space between two others. Why there were a few houses in the middle of the government district didn't even cross David's mind as the group followed Wardes inside, filing in on the small space.

The space was sparsely populated with possessions, two couches taking up most of the room. Whoever's house this was seemed not to like having things out for visitors to see.

"Lord Cromwell wished to host the meeting in his own home."' Wardes explained, though no one had asked. "Well, as I am a wind clone, I will be dispelling now. Please wait here for the rest to arrive. The real me, as well as Lord Cromwell, are here, so please ask us if you need anything."

An oddly chivalrous statement to make after all but ignoring the group for most of the trip, and he raised his hand, vanishing and leaving the group to wait in the room.

Louise groaned, taking one of the couches for herself and falling into the cushions. "So much walking...Why didn't we get a carriage?"

The king and queen sat down on the other couch, and Henrietta sat with Louise, who moved her legs to let her friend sit down, while as usual, the knights stood, though honestly, David wanted to sit, but the seats were taken now and he knew Louise wouldn't move to let him in.

"It would have been too conspicuous for a large group like ours to ask for a carriage ride to the government district. Walking was the safest way." Henrietta said reasonably. "Isn't that right, Father?"

Henri blinked, looking at her, before grinning sheepishly. "Er...yes, that's right! See, I can think ahead sometimes!"

Both David and Agnes sweatdropped at the man's statement, and both thought the same thing. _You liar._

"So this is Oliver Cromwell's home." Casper said into David's head, and he had to stop himself from nodding, keeping his neutral expression from breaking. Sometimes he forgot that only he could hear the former Gallian royal.

 _I suppose so. I expected more lavish conditions than this...And aren't they worried about being discovered? I mean, with his house known like this, the royal family can perform a siege._

"A bad idea to do so. Albion's citizens are so split between the sides that it would be a disaster. The Tudor family want an end that minimizes bloodshed."

 _Well, true...By the way, how is Wales going to get here? He didn't come with us after all…_

Casper couldn't reply before the door opened again, shuffling in 4 more people...The purple-haired woman and prince were familiar, but the two behind them were not...David assumed the taller man was James Tudor, but he had no clue who the short one was...At least until Henri jumped to stand, an excited look on his face.

"James, George!" he said, practically bounding across the short space between him and them, and the older man grinned, though the younger one made more effort to not seem happy, though a small smile did cross his face.

Meanwhile, the same excited exchange occurred between Henrietta and Wales, though it was clear Wales wasn't as into it as she was...He'd been travelling with her for several days after all, the novelty of reuniting had worn off for him. Meanwhile, Sheffield stood aside, her arms crossed as she looked over the group, and David could have sworn her eye lingered on him for a split second before passing to the reunion group at the door.

"Forgive me for interrupting your touching family reunion, but now that we're all here, it's about time to start, wouldn't you say?"


	91. David and Wardes

Sheffield, being the meticulous planner she was, had separated the attendees into three separate groups, to have meetings apart from each other. She claimed it was to enable more varied opinions and to minimize bias from other members, but while David did trust that explanation, it was pretty obvious that it was also intended for keeping the members apart, though she did allow the Tristainian group to have their guards.

And so it came that there were now three groups. The first one was arguably the most important, with Henri, James, and Cromwell, with Agnes acting as Henri's guard, being the best knight there. The second consisted of Marianne, guarded by Louise, Sheffield, and George, who David had learned was the third de Albion brother and the Archduke of Albion. The last was essentially the remainder, with David, Henrietta, Wales, and Wardes.

The third group sat mostly in silence for the first few moments, before Wales smiled, holding his hand to Henrietta across the table, and she accepted it, smiling back as David and Wardes sat next to them, both looking away to give the lovers their moment. It was obvious how they felt about each other, and even Wardes wasn't cruel enough to ignore the tone.

"It's been too long, hasn't it?" Wales asked, and Henrietta nodded.

"Years. You haven't changed at all, I see…"

Wardes bent over to David's ear, and David had to fight the urge to grab Derf, who rested beside his seat. This wasn't the time to be trigger-happy, after all. His personal agenda against Wardes would be bad for Tristain if he were to try anything, especially since he had no proof. Technically this Wardes was innocent after all, since Wales was sitting right across the table from them.

He was against the Reconquista, but the more he thought about it, he realized it was mostly because they were simply portrayed as the enemy in the canon. He really knew very little about the Albion civil war except that it was happening and they were attacking the royal family...But Familiar of Zero had given next to no information on the state of the kingdom before it, and militant factions don't just appear for no reason. Maybe it was justified.

But he couldn't think about that right now. Right now, he was allied with Tristain, who supported the de Albion family. He'd have to focus on that and leave his doubts aside, at least until they were proven.

"You recognized me." the Griffin Knight captain said, and David jolted. He'd forgotten that Wardes had bent over to talk to him. "You know who I really am, don't you?"

David nodded, turning to him so they could talk without interrupting the two lovers. "Tristain's intelligence network is extensive, and ex-Count Mott's notes were discovered with your name on them."

The man nodded, an oddly sad look in his eyes through his mask as he thought over the statement. "I never used my district name in those messages. Are you sure you aren't confusing me with someone else?"

David nodded. "I'm certain. I wouldn't have a strong opinion if I wasn't sure about what I'm up against."

"Well, it's good to know that the Gandalfr is in the hands of a clever man." the fencer replied. "I'd like to spar with you at some point, but I assume that may cause international outrage."

The corner of the boy's mouth lifted. "Just challenge me without that mask, then, considering you're a spy in Tristain."

The man's eyes widened, before he laughed, catching the attention of the other two, who snapped from their silent reverie and looked at him.

"I'm impressed. I didn't know Tristain had such a man in their ranks. It's too bad, under different circumstances we could have been great friends."

"Or bitter rivals." he replied. "Anyway, talking about hypothetical scenarios is pointless. There's a very real issue at hand that we're probably supposed to be talking about."

"Yes, we should focus on the matter at hand." Wales said. "We're wasting time chattering, we'll have plenty of time for banter after this is over."

Henrietta nodded, switching to her more serious mode now that they were back on track. "We're not going to make anyone our enemy here. Currently, each of our sides are neutral to each other."

David nodded. "Until we leave this room, none of us are part of any nation. We're just discussing the future." He was about to continue before Wardes interrupted him.

"No, that way of thinking is destructive in a situation like this. We are representing our sides, but we will not discriminate. The goal here is to find a peaceful solution. Lord Cromwell has finally acknowledged that needlessly murdering people is not a viable solution, and I'd rather not spark that insanity again. Sheffield and I are both more interested in a peaceful takeover."

That was news to David, and to his surprise, he couldn't sense any lying in the man's words. It was understandable, but was Reconquista's upper echelon really starting to fail? Cromwell wasn't a very viable leader, that as for sure, but Wardes aside, wasn't an unstable puppet government beneficial to King Joseph's plans with Sheffield?

Come to think of it, why did Gallia care at all about Albion? It wasn't an economically or politically powerful nation, and it was literally floating off on its own away from the rest of the world. What possible reason did they have for being involved? Or was it just another whim of Joseph's search for emotions?

"I noticed that the Archduke is here too...I thought he was supporting Reconquista though, why was he on the royals' side?" Wales asked, and the man shrugged.

"I have no idea what's going on in that man's mind. Perhaps he decided to change sides after hearing that both of his brothers will be here, or the disappearance of Fouquet influenced him. That woman was close to him after all, being the daughter of one of his favorite servants."

That was good news, it meant that she and Tifa had escaped safely without being detected. The Gandalfr wondered how they'd managed to do so, but it didn't matter. They were probably in Romalia a long time ago.

He didn't regret his decision to spare them in the slightest. Matilda was not guilty of any crime except obeying Reconquista's demands, and all her thievery was to protect Tifa.

"I heard that you were the one who faced her." Wales said, snapping David from his thoughts. "From what I've heard of her, she wouldn't be beaten so easily...Were you helping her to escape Albion?"

He blinked, before laughing sheepishly. "Guess I'm caught, huh? Seems like nobody really believed me when I said she was dead."

"It was kind of obvious from Cheri's report." Henrietta said. "But the crown trusts you, we assumed you had your reasons."

He sighed, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. "It's kind of weird how much they trust me. You're one thing, but Henri doesn't seem easy to convince to me. That whole thing with the title was just an act, wasn't it?"

The girl blinked, before she laughed. "Oh, right, the whole 'King of Commoners' thing...Yeah, I don't think he was being serious. He's not the kind of-"

She was cut off by a loud buzzing sound, and the unmistakable sound of Louise shouting her signature spell, followed by a loud boom that vibrated the room. It was mere seconds before everyone was standing, Derf unsheathed and held in David's hands, and when he looked in the corner of his eye, Wardes was doing the same...Whatever had happened, it was either not Reconquista's doing, or Wardes wasn't in on it.


	92. Impossible Peace

It was clear that Louise was not comfortable being in the room with these people she didn't recognize. George de Albion, the Archduke, was mostly quiet, scanning the other three around him, while Sheffield, who was creepy enough as is with her choice of dress and weird eye makeup, kept her gaze fixed firmly on the pinkette.

Marianne, on the other hand, seemed perfectly calm, sitting with her hands held in front of her on the table separating them.

"It's been a while, hasn't it, George?" she asked the man across from her, who turned to face her. He was silent for several seconds, before he nodded slowly, running a finger along the high-rising collar of his mantle to adjust the cloth.

"You haven't changed even after having a child." he replied, and she smiled.

"Flattery, I've gotten wrinkled." she stated, before turning to Sheffield. "So you are…"

"Sheffield." the woman said, turning her attention from Louise. "Lord Cromwell's secretary.."

"Are you like David?" Louise suddenly asked, and the woman turned to her, surprised that the usually dense girl even noticed her runes at all, much less connected the dots.

"If you mean the Gandalfr boy, then I am similar, yes. I am Lord Cromwell's familiar, the Mjöðvitnir."

"Cromwell is a void mage?" Louise asked, and the woman nodded.

"You didn't see the ring on his finger, did you? That ring is his wand. Wouldn't you expect the leader of a resistance group to be strong?"

"Well, I guess it makes sense…" she replied, sitting back as Sheffield cleared her throat.

"Right, well, now that that's over with, let's actually get to the subject matter...Archduke, would you mind summarizing what we're all here for?"

The man sighed, crossing his arms and nodding. "To make an effort to find a solution to this war that doesn't require more death." he replied. "Originally, I supported Reconquista, but Cromwell's actions have bothered me for months, so now I am representing the royal family. Naturally, having switched sides, I am interested in a peaceful agreement."

"And my husband being of the family means that it's favorable for Tristain to be involved." Marianne said, leaning forward as Louise stayed silent. This was political territory, and as the guard, it wasn't her business getting involved.

Even if she wanted too, she had no idea what they were talking about for the most part. Her understanding of the war was limited to what was told at the academy after all.

"Yes, it's good that we're all on the same page." Sheffield said, nodding. "I have a few solutions, but I'd like to hear any that Tristain has come up with first, if that's a reasonable request. As you personally are a neutral third party, I'd like to hear what Tristain's queen believes, as you are not directly related to Albion's throne."

"I am only a queen consort, so I'm not as privy to information regarding the situation as my husband is, but I did at least come up with what I thought was a good solution. May I speak freely, without worry about being spied on by all those runes surrounding this place?"

The familiar raised an eyebrow, surprised that the usually unobservant woman had noticed them. "They are not active, they've been in the city since decades ago. Nobody knows where they came from, but they are not a danger to anyone. Continue."

Marianne nodded, staying silent for a few moments as she thought of how to word her statement. "Ther'es actually a simple solution because of James' habit of-" She stopped, turning her gaze to the wall to her right.

"Are you alright?" Sheffield asked, and the queen frowned.

"I am very skilled in earth magic, so it's quite easy for me to feel a change in the ground…" the queen consort said. "And I'm sensing void magic being used. Correct me if I'm wrong, but other than Louise, the only other void mage here is-"

"Cromwell." finished the Archduke, turning his attention to Sheffield. "Sheffield, did Reconquista set a trap? Are you about to attempt to kill us?" Despite the gravity of what he just said, he seemed very relaxed, his arms still crossed, though Louise immediately grabbed her wand from inside her cloak, pointing it at the woman.

Sheffield was silent, looking down at her own lap for a few seconds before sighing. "That idiot, what is he thinking…" she asked quietly, before standing up, her hands on the table to balance herself as she leaned forward. "Child, point that thing somewhere else. This was not planned at all, this was supposed to be a peaceful negotiations meeting...Cromwell is unstable and dangerous, whatever he did is something none of us agreed on."

Almost on cue, the wall burst open, ripped outward by a blast of wind magic, and the wood would have smashed into the group if Louise hadn't instinctively reacted.

"Explosion!" she shouted, and at the chant, the familiar burst came from her wand, turning the chunks of shrapnel into dust and revealing what was behind.

It certainly was no peaceful meeting in the room beside them. Both Agnes and James lay unconscious, while Henri stood still, his wand raised and pointed where the wall had formerly been, standing next to Cromwell, who grinned, the hand with the ring closed into a tight fist.

"Henri, what-" Marianne said, but cut herself off as she realized that something was very wrong with her husband.

His stance was stiff, and his expression was blank, down to the stare he gave them, looking forward and totally ignoring her presence entirely.

Sheffield seemed to recognize what was happening, however. "Cromwell, you were not to hurt anyone! What are you doing? Release Henri immediately!"

"Things have changed, Sheffield." Cromwell said, his grin widening as he looked at her. "Peace is impossible now."

"Of course it is! You made it so with this! What were you thinking?!" George said, as Louise shouted, ignoring the door bursting open as David ran in, followed by Wardes, Henrietta, and Wales.

"Explosion!" she shouted, launching a spell with the same power as before directly at the man.

"Louise, no!" David shouted, raising Derf to intercept it...He knew that Derf could absorb the magic, though he hadn't tested it yet, but he knew what was coming. He didn't need this to be a canon event to realize that attacking with such a spell was exactly what Cromwell had wanted her to do.

The expression on the militant leader's face proved his theory, and his hand holding the ring raised, pointing to Henri standing next to him, and with a flick of his elbow, the mind-controlling power of the Ring of Andvari forced the king to move in front of him.

David was too slow, and Derf's blade missed the back of the explosion by centimeters, leaving him to stare wide-eyed as it charged forward.

As the explosion met the king's body, Louise collapsed to the ground, staring forward in shock as she realized what had happened, even before the light of the spell faded.

She'd just cast an explosion on a collision course with Tristain's king.


	93. Out with a Bang

Explosion's power was both a blessing and a curse. Its offensive ability was second to none, and when it found a target, there was nothing anyone could do to stop it. But that unstoppable force was as bad as it was good, and now that David couldn't stop it, there was nothing to block it from hitting Henri, who simply stood and took the attack head-on, unable to move due to the Ring's control.

The room went silent as the light faded, and the damage was obvious.

Explosion was an incredibly powerful spell, and Louise had put every bit of willpower into it, so much that had she not been frozen in shock, she'd likely be unconscious right now after the effort put into that one attack. She was clearly not at her full power after wasting so much energy on the way to La Rochelle, but still, with what she had, the damage was done.

There wasn't even a body left. Her magic was too strong, and all that remained of Henri was a crater on the ground. Just like that, in the blink of an eye, the king of Tristain was dead.

Cromwell, however, was grinning like the madman he was, waving his arms out and laughing, a maniacal sound as the present members stared in shock.

Behind him, David heard someone collapse, and he knew who it was. Marianne was as paralyzed as Louise, but Henrietta…

She'd just seen her father erased without a trace. That kind of trauma had to be ruinous to her, but David couldn't turn away to check on her. Wales could handle her, but the Gandalfr's grip on Derf tightened.

He didn't look at Louise. He knew it wasn't her fault. She didn't know the Ring of Andvari's capability. It wasn't Wardes, or Sheffield, or Reconquista to blame either. This was Cromwell alone. Therefore, it was Cromwell who he had to turn his blade to.

The man blinked, looking at him, before laughing at his stance. "You've just seen your king die. Do you want to end up the same way?" he asked.

"That's the Ring of Andvari." David said, and the man blinked. "I know what it's capable of. I know what its limitations are. I know that you stole it from the water spirit in Lagdorian Lake."

The man's eyes widened in surprise, and he took a step back, his grin dropping. "You...How do you-"

"You're not even a real void mage. Did you think you could trick us? New Divide knows everything about you." he bluffed, though he knew full well that Cromwell was still a mystery...All he really knew was that he wasn't a real void mage, but even that could possibly be wrong in this world…

Cromwell's eyes widened, and David knew he'd taken the bluff even as he heard Sheffield's stifled gasp from behind him. That's right, he'd nearly forgotten that he'd started to convert her.

That didn't matter now. Right now, he was doing to do his job and protect the remaining people from Cromwell's power...He could do nothing to save Henri now, so he pushed aside any thoughts he had on his death, focusing instead on the glow of his runes and the man standing in front of him.

Gandalfr's duty was protecting his allies, and he'd do that. He had never actually killed anyone before, but this time, he was fully prepared to do so. It was strange, where he expected burning anger and hatred for the Reconquista leader, he felt nothing of the sort. Instead, he felt nothing but a calm numb sensation, entirely focused on his stance as Cromwell raised his ring hand.

"So you know that much about me. Still, you are not immune to this power, are you?" he asked, grinning as David stood still.

 _Casper, if you have any ideas right now, I'll be glad to hear them._ he thought, but he as met with nothing but silence. Had Casper already given up on him? She'd been silent during the meeting, though, so maybe she just wasn't here...but hadn't she sent 3 clones here to watch?

Well, that just meant he'd need to think of his own solution...This was bad, he had no clue how to stop the ring's powers yet…

He blinked at the same time as Cromwell, both realizing the same thing at the same time.

The ring was pointed directly at him, but for some reason, it didn't have control. He was still positioned as he was before, and his mind didn't feel cloudy or anything...and the look of surprise on Cromwell's face showed that he wasn't just imagining things.

"W-What?!" the man asked, bringing his hand up to look at the ring, then pointing it at David again. "W-Why isn't it working?!" The panic in his voice made it clear...This was his only source of magic. Was he not a regular mage? Was he really just a commoner who was being aided?

The man whirled around to face Sheffield, his shocked expression turning to one of anger. "What did you do?!" he asked. "This is treason!"

Sheffield stayed calm, her arms crossed, and now that David was looking, he realized that the runes on her forehead were glowing...was she removing Cromwell's ability to use the ring?

"This is not treason. You've betrayed the purpose of Reconquista, therefore you are the traitor. The damage you have done here is already irreparable, so I am stripping you of your power. Wardes, do not get involved. I wish to see David's skill."

The shock of Wardes' identity being revealed was barely registered by those who weren't already in the know, the realization that their king was dead overpowering that of the betrayal of the high-ranking knight. The man sighed, tapping his mask to make sure it was still on, and stood still.

"I believe I said I wanted to be the one to destroy him if he decided to go against us...But you and I are both interested in seeing what the Gandalfr can do." He turned to David, stepping over Henrietta and Wales, the latter sitting on the ground to hold up the fainted princess' head in his lap. "David, what does New Divide mean? You mentioned the name, and it faintly rings a bell…"

Sheffield's eyes widened, and she turned to the boy. "Wait, that name...you are connected with that organization?!"

David blinked, lowering Derf and scratching the back of his head with his free hand. "Uh...yeah, I'm part of it...I don't know its end goals or anything, I'm just going with it…" Technically, he wasn't lying, New Divide really didn't have an end goal after all.

"So it's an organization...Sheffield, you knew about it?" Wardes asked, and she shook her head.

"No, I have only heard of it...I know very little other than what I've intercepted. Anyway, mystery organization aside, David, do your thing."

He blinked at the incredibly informal tone she took, something she never used with anyone as far as he knew, but his attention was caught by Derf speaking in his hand.

"Partner, this is it. You've fought before, but you've never killed. You are a warrior, so you must learn to be able to do what's necessary. That man caused Henri to die. He will do it again if he has the chance. You are the Gandalfr, you have the ability to wield me at full power. So do so. Don't hesitate anymore."

David nodded, raising the sword up and closing his eyes, inhaling deeply to calm his nerves, before his eyes opened again.

"Right. It's my duty to do so...Because I'm supposed to be the hero."


	94. Gandalfr's Will

"You're shivering." Cromwell stated, laughing, though his voice was still filled with panic as he realized no help would come from Sheffield, who simply stood still, watching the confrontation unfold.

Still, even if he was panicked, he could still try to escape somehow. "It's sad that the weakest person here is the only one standing against me." he stated. "It's sad that even his hear wife won't fight against me...Perhaps she is unsure who to blame...After all, I didn't kill Henri. I simply acted in self defense, that little brat over there on the floor attacked me first."

David's grip tightened, and though he knew Derf probably had some smart-aleck comment to say, the sword remained quiet, sensing his anger. He'd managed to hold it down, but Louise aside, Marianne was an innocent bystander in this. He just had to thank Henrietta for passing out rather than actually trying to fight, things would be much easier without her and Wales getting involved.

"You do realize what this means, right?" the boy asked, a determined expression crossing his face as he raised Derf up, holding the hilt with both hands as he felt his patience cracking. "You know what you've done?"

"I've declared war." the man said, smiling calmly. A child was easy to beat, even without magic, and David was inexperienced.

"No." David replied, and the man frowned in confusion, before his eyes widened as behind David stood the queen consort. While David was barely containing his rage, Marianne was something else entirely. David didn't even need to turn around to see she was raising her wand, and he felt her free hand touch his shoulder.

"War on Tristain is the least of your mistakes now." the Gandalfr said. "You killed Henri, and now, Marianne wants nothing more than to destroy you...but even that isn't your biggest mistake."

"Oh? Then what is, pray tell?" the man asked, and David's mouth turned upwards.

"You insulted Louise and forced her to do something unforgivable. Angering Marianne is one thing, but you've infringed on a void mage...You're playing with a bond that has existed long before you were born. You're not just fighting Tristain's royalty, you're fighting against a millennium of pent-up Gandalfr aggression...And I'm sure Derf would love to get rid of his rust."

"If he was playing a fake void mage, then this is a fight for Brimir's descendants." Marianne said. "Which makes this as much a religious war as it is a physical one. That makes you a paladin...do you think you can handle that?" she asked, and he nodded.

"I don't like the idea of being used for a cause I don't believe in, but...I know when something is right to do. I don't care about Brimir or Tristain or any of those labels. I just am here to protect the people I care about. That's the way of Gandalfr after all. Think you can handle not getting revenge directly?"

"This isn't the first time someone I love has died in front of me." Marianne stated. "I fought in wars before too, you know. The time for mourning will come after this is over."

A surprisingly cold response coming from the often emotional queen consort, but he nodded, accepting the statement, and blinked as he found the rust in his hands beginning to fade, exposing the gold and steel coloration below.

"I am a skilled Square-class Earth mage. Clearing this rust is nothing for me. Derflinger is at its best when it is clear, is it not?"

He blinked, before nodding, stepping forward as her hand left his shoulder and raising the now fully revealed Derf up, laughing as the sword clanked a few times, getting used to the feeling of being exposed once again.

"This is much better! Feels like a weight's been taken off me!" the sword stated. "Now, let's see the full power you can currently use!"

"Ah!" David replied, leaping forward and holding the sword sideways for a horizontal slash, focusing entirely on the attack as he aimed for Cromwell.

He blinked in surprise. "W-What…"

Why was he suddenly on the ground? Where was Derf? What was pointing at his face-

Oh. That's right. He'd forgotten...Wardes was a wind mage. Wind was a very bad matchup with close-range swordfighting, and Wardes was much more experienced in both than he was.

"I'm not interested in splintering the Reconquista just because our leader is an idiot." the man said, shedding his mask with his free hand so he could look directly at the boy facing his fencing sword's tip. No point wearing it when everyone knew his name now after all. "Sorry, Sheffield. I'm not going to just stand aside anymore."

Marianne growled, holding her wand up at him. "Don't forget I'm a capable fighter myself...I'll leave Cromwell to him, but I can handle you myself. You betrayed Tristain, so to me, you are nothing but another enemy."

"I don't care what you have to say about me." Wardes stated, not even looking at her. "Now that Cromwell decided to ruin this for everyone, there's no point hiding anything anymore. I was never loyal to Tristain, but I'm equally unconcerned with Albion. I am simply Cromwell's follower, and nothing more."

"Yet you're still a swordsman." David said, turning his head to look for Derf, which he spotted a couple feet away. "You want to battle me, don't you? You want to test your-" He shouted in pain as Wardes brought his foot down on the boy's arm, pinning it to the ground to stop him from reaching the sword, and his own sword's tip touched the bottom of his chin.

"How presumptive, assuming that I would be concerned with such things. I am well aware of your skill, I don't need to duel you to know which of us would win. Such a way of thinking is what has brought down powerful men in the past, more powerful than I and certainly more than you. You should realize that normal duelling rules don't apply here. This is a battle between nations, and you are not even so much as a commoner. Legally, I could cut you down and your death wouldn't even be recorded. You think I would bother with any sort of-"

He was cut off by Marianne shouting a spell, and the ground shook below them, a burst of water coming from the ground directed at him, which he barely managed to stop with a burst of lightning brought from his sword, the water exploding from the electricity as he jumped back, giving David time to grab Derf and stand up again.

"Thanks." he said, and she nodded.

"Have a plan?" she asked. "I can handle him my-"

"Just distract him. I know you don't care, but he's Louise's fiance, so...just be mindful of that."

"He isn't anymore, not after this. I'm sure she'll understand once she's conscious, after this is over."


	95. I Can't

"Do you actually have a plan?" Derf asked as David jumped aside, dodging Wardes' lightning while Marianne concentrated on moving the unresponsive Louise and Henrietta out of harm's way, with Wales helping her. Agnes and James still lay unconscious in the other room, but they should be safe from the fight as long as they kept it to this room. Meanwhile, Sheffield had vanished to who knows where, probably simply abandoning the area to let things happen, while Cromwell simply watched the duel in front of him.

"Nope!" the boy replied honestly. This distraction job was supposed to be for Marianne, but, as expected, things didn't go to plan, so now once again he was tasked with fighting the traitorous mage while she did rescue work...A good enough turn of events, he couldn't complain.

Now if only Casper would respond to his thoughts, she could seriously help him as a Triangle-class wing mage just like Wardes after all!

"You really like to run around, don't you?" Wardes asked as David jumped aside again. He could easily absorb the attacks using Derf, but he was smart enough to know that that was a useful thing to keep hidden.

"If I can't block, I have to dodge, isn't that just common sense?" David shot back, readying Derf for an offensive slash...He just had to wait for a good time to come in. He knew Wardes was mostly innocent, since he'd not committed any crime other than the obvious treason, but he still hated the guy. Maybe in other circumstances they'd have been friends, but these weren't other circumstances.

The events may be vastly different, but this still followed the rough concept of the canon. And if Wardes was siding with Cromwell, that meant Wales' life was still in danger. Derf may ship him with Henrietta, but David preferred the idea of Wales getting with her. A stupid reason, but still a reason nonetheless.

Casper was never very helpful anyway, so he couldn't rely on her. Besides, he didn't need her when he fought Fouquet, so why should he rely on her for Wardes? He looked around the room, trying to decide the best way to fight the man...The room was fairly large, enough that they could both easily move, and with the wall knocked down, there was no shortage of space, so trapping him wasn't an option. Neither was overpowering him, even with Gandalfr, his current skill wasn't good enough to match the man.

That didn't even include Cromwell smirking in the background. He knew he'd have to kill Wardes to get to the leader, and right now, while he was still capable of thinking rationally, he knew his movements were slowly growing erratic thanks to his own anger…

Wait. That was it. He could use that to his advantage...He'd heard of such a thing before, shutting off the conscious mind in favor of going by pure instinct. It made the person unpredictable, but it also came with the obvious risk of them not being able to properly react…

It was stupid, but it was just stupid enough that it might work on the logical-minded Wardes. No time like the present to try new things.

He stood still, holding Derf steady as he closed his eyes, trusting that the sword would tell him if an attack was coming. Shutting off his mind was something he had no clue how to do, so he'd do the next best thing and go into the world his mind went when he played his music.

His mouth started moving as he sang All We Are, the same song he'd played on the _Eagle._ No need to think up a more fitting one for this situation after all, the point was to find something that worked to distract him.

"I tried to paint you a picture, the colors were all wrong. Black and white didn't fit you and all along, you were shaded with patience, your strokes of everything that I need just to make it, but I can see…"

Wardes blinked, staring at the boy as he began to sing. "What are you doing? This is a fight, you can't start getting distracted!" he said, irritated at the audacity of this kid in front of him, and he lunged with a forward thrust of his sword.

His eyes widened as David quite literally collapsed to the ground, as if his bones suddenly stopped working, and the man's momentum carried him forward, and before he realized it, his foot caught on David's outstretched arm, sending him falling to the ground.

"We won't say our goodbyes, you know it's better that way. We won't break, we won't die, it's just a moment of change." The singing was loud, the only thing David could hear as he stood up, raising Derf to face forward, though in his trancelike state, he had no idea that his opponent was now behind him.

Still, he lunged forward, towards the shocked Cromwell, who made to jump to the side, before finding himself stuck in place, his eyes wide as he turned his head to either side.

James stood at one side, while Agnes was at the other, both seemingly still unconscious, and in his shock, the man just realized that his ring finger had been severed, a soft purple glow coming from nearby as Sheffield controlled the two, her runes active as she wielded the ring.

"Sheffield, how..." he said, and the woman shook her head.

"Unlike the mockery you have, I have full control over the Ring of Andvari. While you control living people, I'm able to manipulate those who are unconscious or dead as well."

"But, why are you-"

"I don't care about you. I don't care about your motivations. Gallia's involvement in this war has been completely unrelated to you. You are no longer necessary. So be a good boy and let this kid kill you."

"..." Cromwell was about to say something, but he was cut off as David completed his movement. With his arms bound and his movement stopped, the Reconquista leader had no way to protect himself as Derf's blade met his chest.

"All we are, all we are is everything that's right. All we need, all we need, a lover's alibi." David sang as Derf sank into the man...David's first true kill, though he wasn't conscious to recognize it.

The shock of the sword hitting something broke David from his reverie, and he blinked, staring in surprise at what he'd just done...He'd been aiming for Wardes, not for Cromwell, how did he end up here?

"Well, this works too." Derf said, and he looked down, his eyes widening as he realized what was happening.

He'd succeeded, sort of...The goal was to kill Cromwell anyway, though he'd intended to take Wardes down first.

Wait, why was he so calm? As Cromwell slumped over, he knew that he'd just killed someone, and it was entirely in cold blood, so...why was he not panicking? Was Gandalfr really suppressing his reaction that much that he wasn't mentally breaking at this? Sure, Cromwell was an enemy, but he had only been trying to make Marianne worry less when he said he was ready to kill him!

"Sheffield, why would you…" Wardes said, standing up from where he'd tripped. He stared at David, the boy frozen in place as he tried to contemplate what was going on, the blood of the fake void mage dripping off the sword's blade onto the ground.

"I already stated my reasoning, but I'll explain further." the woman said, lowering her ring hand, and with the motion, her control of the unconscious people left, the two collapsing, along with Cromwell, who slipped off Derf's blade, leaving David standing with the sword in hand, free from his body.

"I'm curious to see what this boy will become." Sheffield stated. "He is connected with New Divide somehow...I don't know enough about it to interrogate him yet, so I think I'd rather see how far he grows...Perhaps I simply have a soft spot because he is similar to me."

"I'm not." David said, his free hand clenching as he grit his teeth, staring at the shocked expression frozen on the man's face. "I don't care about this stupid war. I don't care about Gallia and Joseph's stupid plans. I don't care about Brimir or Gandalfr or Louise. I just want to go home." He shouted in pain and he dropped Derf on the ground, holding his hands to his forehead as a lance of pain shot through his skull again. It was getting worse, now he couldn't even think of home without it hurting. "I don't care about the water spirit, I don't care about Sasha, I don't care about Tristain. Alfheim isn't where I belong…"

The pain was worse than the first time it happened, and he collapsed to his knees, growling in an effort to fight against it, and though Wardes made a move to point his sword at the boy, he was stopped by Sheffield walking between them, standing behind the boy and looking down at him.

"I know I'm your enemy and so my words shouldn't mean anything to you, and I don't really have a complete opinion of you yet, but I'll just tell you something. We are both bound to our masters. We cannot fight against their orders forever...You're starting to figure that out. There's just no way to-"

"Shut up." he said, forcing himself to stand, grabbing Derf as he did so, though he could barely think over the pounding in his head. "Your voice is annoying, I don't want to hear someone who knows nothing about me telling me I can't do something. You know, there's many things I hate. I hate carrots. I hate clowns. I hate my friends getting hurt. But the one thing that pisses me off the most is people saying I can't do something. I can't beat Fouquet. I can't go home. I can't fight my runes. I hate the people who say that. I'll learn to control it all. I'll go home. I'll fight the bond. I'll show this world that I'm not some little kid to be stepped on."

He turned to face the woman, who stepped back at the expression on his face. His eyes were filled with an anger he rarely showed, worse than that which he directed at Cromwell, worse than how much he hated Wardes. He hated them for hurting people he cared about, and planning to hurt more...But Sheffield's statement had hit a deeper cord in him. She'd hit his pride.

David was no Saito, he knew that. He was not a shameless pervert who pretty much just fought for his lower head's happiness. David was different. He did care about others, but he put himself up above all else. He was selfish, he knew that, but he had no desire to fight it. He wasn't part of this world, so he had no reason to care what happened in it.

But Sheffield had crossed that line. She'd told him he couldn't fight the bond. He knew why. It was a spell that Brimir himself had created, along with many other incredibly powerful abilities that still existed to this day. That meant that in order to show Sheffield that she was wrong, he'd have to fight against the void directly.

He knew it was probably impossible, but he didn't care. He hated being told he can't do something. He'd accomplish the impossible, just to show her she was wrong.

He'd take Isabella's wager, and change the world.


	96. Aftermath

Sheffield stared as Wardes stood still, unsure how to react to David's rant. Wardes lowered his sword, knowing that with Sheffield in the way, he could do nothing to attack the boy.

She stayed quiet for several seconds, her mouth turned in a frown as she went deep in thought. "You refuse to accept your place." she said, and without hesitation, David nodded.

"That's right. I'm not some weak-willed little kid. I may have been tossed into this world blindly, but I'm not an idiot. There's a lot going on in my head, plans on plans and contingencies I don't ever use. I'm human, not some beast chained to a master. If you can't accept that, then you yourself are no more than an animal." He glared at the woman, his runes glowing brightly a he gripped the blood-covered sword, though he wasn't in any sort of attack stance. He didn't intend to hurt her after all. He just wanted to see her reaction.

"..." She finally looked down at the ground, before her eyes rolled to the body of the Reconquista's leader. "A life for a life." she said, her voice low, and he blinked, confused by the statement. "That's what you were thinking when you decided to attack, weren't you?"

"W-What?" David asked, and she smiled, a sad expression that was so unexpected that even the adrenaline-fuelled Gandalfr had to step back, ignoring Marianne and Wales, who had come back to see what was going on and were now standing in the doorway to the mostly-destroyed room. "What do you-"

"Henri de Tristain's death was neither honorable nor fair. Your country has lost a great man, even I can see that...Though I am no more than an animal." Her facial expression was hidden as she turned around, walking to Wardes. "We're done here. This meeting was a disaster...And you'll be reprimanded for betraying the cause. Cromwell was only a figurehead and you know that."

"Sheffield." David said, and she blinked, turning her head to face him. "I can't tell you everything, but New Divide's going to save you too."

She blinked, and her hand went up to cover her mouth, though he could see a hint of a small smile before it was covered. "I'm only curious of you, don't think that we're allies. Tristain is now officially at war with Albion...I suggest you keep those Tudors safe, because we're still going to target them."

She blinked as the boy suddenly slumped over, and Marianne and Wales ran to catch him before he could collapse. As the queen checked his pulse, Wales sighed, sitting back on the ground and looking to the side, where his unconscious father and the Chevalier to Henrietta still lay. "He must have passed out from shock." the man said. "Understandable. Judging by the state Cromwell's in, he probably had to use every bit of his Gandalfr power to survive here." He turned to say something to Sheffield, but blinked as he realized that both she and Wardes were gone.

"Wind clones?" he asked himself, before blinking as a voice came into his mind. A woman? But it wasn't Sheffield…

"Go to Tristain. David wants you to live."

He was about to question the voice, but instead smiled softly and shook his head, shifting to wrap the two other unconscious people's arms around his shoulders, lifting them and starting to carry them out as Marianne tended to David, leaving the dead man on the ground. Albion could handle that...King James Tudor de Albion would be missing for a while after this, and Captain Wales had an airship crew to lead.

~~~Later~~~

The first thing David sensed was something repeatedly whacking into his cheek, and he woke quickly, squinting his eyes at the harsh light, and turned his head, jolting in surprise at the proximity to Nevermore, who, upon realizing its master was awake, promptly flapped its wings and jumped to sit on his chest, staring at him with its beady eyes.

"David friend awake!" it cawked, and he blinked, sitting up and looking around.

He didn't recognize this room. Was this an infirmary? Where was he? Why was Nevermore here?

"David!" called a familiar voice, and he turned his head, grunting as a lance of pain shot through his neck, though he ignored it as Henrietta and Louise walked up to him, Agnes nearby talking to a nurse meandering around the mostly empty room. Good, at least the knight was back to normal after whatever Cromwell had done to her and James…

Henrietta and Louise both didn't seem particularly distraught over what had happened. Louise seemed antsy, but that was no different from usual, and Henrietta had a big smile on her face as they came to his bed.

"Where are we?" he asked them, and Louise nodded.

"The academy infirmary...Apparently Reconquista attacked while we were in Albion.." The pinkette closed her eyes and crossed her arms in thought. "I can't really remember what happened though…Oh, well." She shrugged, tapping the side of her head with a fist and opening her eyes. "It doesn't really matter. Everyone got out mostly unscathed after all!"

He blinked in surprise. Did she not-

His thoughts were interrupted by Casper, as usual, coming into his mind unbidden. "I took the liberty of erasing her memory of the incident...though I decided not to with Henrietta, because of her relation to Henri…" With that, the mysterious wind mage went silent again as he nodded involuntarily.

The two girls tilted their heads at the nod, before Henrietta seemed to realize something, pointing at the bird on the boy's chest.

"What is that bird?" she asked. "Is it connected to New Divide?"

He blinked, looking at Nevermore. "It's just a crow…" he said, before the subject of the conversation looked at the princess.

"Nevermore is Nevermore. Nevermore is David friend. New Divide spy."

David's palm met his forehead, and he glared at the bird, who was wholly unaffected by the expression, probably since it was still just a bird and had no concept of human facial changes.

"Fine, if you're going to be that way." he said, sighing and he turned to Henrietta, shifting Nevermore to his lap so he could sit up better. "It's a friend. I don't really know much about it other than that it can talk and it's trustworthy."

"I don't like that bird." Louise said. "But, it's not like I have much say anyway, he does what he-" She suddenly cut herself off, laughing hesitantly as she corrected herself. "I let him do what he wants."

Henrietta's smile seemed forced for a second, before it returned to normal, and he blinked, tilting his head at the exchange as Henrietta faced him again.

"Louise, do you mind leaving for a bit? I have something to discuss with him, since he remembers the incident."

The girl blinked, before nodding, bowing quickly to the princess before leaving as Agnes walked to them, a frown on her face as she looked over the bedridden boy.

"She doesn't remember, does she?" Henrietta asked, her smile dropping almost as soon as the door closed with Louise outside. "With father…"

David nodded, noting the sudden drop in the atmosphere. "I'm surprised you can talk about it without breaking down. Are you okay?"

"I'm the princess. It's a position that means I can't let my personal desires interfere with my duties...even if it's something like this. We came to discuss what's about to happen with you, since you were a major player in the meeting."

"I didn't do any-" He was cut off as Agnes raised a hand, her expression firm as she interrupted him.

"You prevented any more deaths from occurring, by killing Cromwell and driving away the others. Thanks to you, James and Wales Tudor are safe in Tristainian custody." She glanced at Henrietta, who looked away nervously, and the Chevalier sighed, shaking her head and continuing. "The Princess, Wales, and I discussed their...relationship on the way back to Tristain."

David nodded in understanding, and Henrietta laughed sheepishly, altering the subject to prevent the awkward conversation. "But it was a surprise, finding out that he was the _Eagle_ 's captain...That Minerva was a lot more accommodating when she noticed most of us were injured. Did you already know about him being their captain?"

He shrugged. "I didn't, but I had a suspicion and called him out on it. We discussed New Divide on the way to the island...I didn't know you'd told him about it already."

"Oh, right, I was planning on telling you during the meeting, but with all the craziness I didn't get a chance...Seems like you know now though. Is it alright?"

He shook his head and smiled. "It's fine, don't worry. I expected you to have spies on your own...And besides, it's getting closer to the time for me to leave. Once I'm gone, it'll be up to you to handle the project."

Henrietta blinked, before frowning. "You still plan on going?" she asked, and he nodded.

"I have extra time before the next eclipse and I haven't yet obtained the plane I need to use it, but the groundwork is laid out. I know it's like I'm abandoning you in the middle of a war, but…"

"But you planned this from the beginning." Agnes finished, and he nodded. She sighed, shrugging in response. "Well, it's not like you're particularly special as a soldier, I'm sure losing you won't be a huge blow to the country."

Henrietta looked at her, and she looked back, the two sitting in silence before Agnes sighed again, shaking her head and holding her fingers to her temples. "...I should correct myself. Losing you _wouldn't_ have been a blow to the country...if not for you being a candidate for Chevalier."

His eyes widened in surprise, and he looked at Henrietta, who smiled, holding a hand out.

"Tristain is joining the Albion civil war, and we need all the fighters we can get. We also discussed it with the council, and they've decided that thanks to your actions since coming here, especially during the meeting, have made you eligible for becoming a Chevalier for the crown...If you accept, that is."

"..." He looked down at his lap, where Nevermore sat, silently watching the group. "Last time such a thing was suggested, Agnes pointed out that I've not done anything to deserve that title. Even my stand in Londinium was nothing but pure selfish desire, nothing more. I wasn't protecting anyone but myself."

"The world is changing, David." Agnes said, and he looked up, the phrasing triggering his memory of the conversation that first lead to such a thing being told to him...Isabella had quite the way with words when he thought about it. "With or without you. New Divide isn't the only force at work, there are many enemies out there. Tristain is a small and not very powerful country, so we need as much help as we can get...It was me who made the suggestion to make you a noble to the council in the first place. You are a subpar swordsman, that much is true, but your strong suit is not your sword, nor is it your runes, and your intelligence isn't all we need either, though it certainly helps. What you have that we need is conviction. I admit I was unconscious for most of the situation, but I believe I heard that rant of yours. Something about hating people who tell you you can't do something?"

He blinked, before smiling. "Yeah, that's pretty much what it was about. Sheffield reminded me what I'm fighting for with something she said. I'm not fighting for Louise, or Henrietta, or Tristain. I'm fighting only for myself. That's why I can't accept becoming a Chevalier."

He looked at Henrietta, expecting an angry reaction, but instead, her smile hadn't even fallen.

"I pretty much expected you to say that. You want to work in the shadows, so you're not bound to the law, right?"


	97. Selfish Altruism

**I've had a few complaints about David's slight sociopathic tendencies, and rather than answering directly (especially since many are guests), I happen to have a good solution...A chapter dedicated to solving the issue! It was partially planned anyway, it was just lucky coincidence that it happened right around the time people started realizing the problem!**

* * *

"Rejecting the position of Chevalier is quite a bold move...Are you sure you're not going to change your mind?" Louise asked, sitting on her bed and watching the boy as he sat at the small couch in her room, his hoodie off as it was being repaired after suffering some damage during the Londinium fight, so he was simply wearing his shirt - the same T-shirt that he'd been wearing when Isabella made her bet with him...And also his only shirt. Apparently he fit Guiche's clothing, and his self-titled rival had offered some, but he'd rejected. Something was weird about wearing the earth mage's hand-me-downs.

He was nose-deep in a book Tabitha had lent him, practicing reading the language since his universal translator didn't work for reading, though he hadn't thought to ask the Gallian for help until after she visited him before he left the infirmary. Thank God he could at least read the symbols. Poor Saito couldn't even do that.

It never ceased to amuse him how frequently he, a devoted atheist, said the phrase 'Thank God'.

"I said my reasons already." he said, without even looking up from the book. "A Chevalier is someone who follows the doctrine of the state, and as someone whose every action is to better himself-"

"Cut the crap." Louise said, and he blinked, staring up from the book at her. This was the first time she'd insulted him in months, what was going on?

"Er, what?" he asked, noting the annoyed frown on her face as she got up from her bed and walked over to stand in front of him, her hands on her hips.

"The whole selfishness thing. It's crap, and you know it. Give me a real excuse, okay? Because I may not be able to get a handle on you, but I know you well enough to say that selfish isn't your style."

"Oh, really? Seems like you're the last person who should be saying that. You know very well that everything I'm doing is in preparation for me going home, and I'm just helping everyone because I feel like it. So that means-"

He was cut off by the girl stamping her foot on the ground, her glare intensifying in irritation. "What's wrong with wanting to go home?" she asked. "What's so bad about helping people just because you feel like it? Gandalfr is bound to spoken promises. That doesn't mean they can't lie. I think you yourself forgot about that."

His eyes widened in surprise at her statement, and he lowered the book, folding the corner of the page to save his spot as he stared back at her. "What are you saying?" he asked.

"I'm saying that you're missing something even I noticed, and I didn't even know Gandalfr was a thing until a week ago! I spent a long time thinking about what I know of you while you were unconscious for the entire week, and I've realized that you're just not getting it. You're my familiar, so it's time I get you in line. Stop feeling sorry for yourself, stop acting like a child, and stop blaming selfishness on everything you think you can't do. I don't care if you're connected to that New Divide, or if you're friends with the Princess, or if you're scared to stay here and want to run away back to your own world. You aren't a bad person, David. I can see that. The Princess sees it. Founder, you even got Agnes on your side." Her voice steadily rose as she spoke, until she was practically shouting in his ear...Strangely reminiscent of the Louise from the anime, though this was clearly different. She wasn't yelling because he'd some something wrong, she was angry because of something that affected only himself.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" he asked, his voice low, stunned by her outburst. He couldn't even remember when she last raised her voice at him, it has gotten to the point that they barely spoke if it wasn't necessary. Had she realized she was going soft on him?

Honestly, it felt better than he thought to be getting yelled at. She was finally growing a backbone after all, he'd begun to get a little worried by how docile she was.

Louise paused to collect her thought, as well as to catch her breath, before launching into her rant once again. "It means that for some reason, you yourself are the only person who realizes you're a decent human being. Stop with that self-deprecating crap and figure that out!"

It was good she was finally talking back, but it was also annoying that she was going against everything he had so passionately spoke of only recently, and his own voice raised as he stood from the chair, using the more than a foot he had over her for intimidation, his hands balled into fists. "Tell me how I'm decent! Tell me how anything I'm trying to do is right! Tell me how deciding everything based on how it affects me is an act of a hero!"

"I'm telling you that isn't a bad thing!" she shouted right back, too focused on the argument to react to his taller stature. "Yes, you do everything for yourself, but that doesn't mean you're selfish!"

"What does that even mean?! You're just making things up as you go along now!" he replied.

"If you're so set on thinking you're so bad, then tell me, how is anything anyone does not selfish?" she replied, her voice suddenly going quiet, her tone flat as she stated it, and the sudden change in pace coupled with what she'd said forced him to calm down as well, staring in surprise at the statement.

"Selflessness is a thing. Helping other people for no reason. I don't do that. I need a reason to even begin to do anything." His own voice surprised him with how level it was, though the two's glares were equally matched as they were before.

"Altruism is a lie." the void mage said, and with those four words, he reeled back, his foot hitting the floor to stop him from physically falling over at the force of the statement. "I know it better than anyone. Being kind to other people is never without reason. No matter how many pretty ribbons you put on it, being nice to other people is just a way to make you feel good about yourself. That doesn't make it a bad thing. You can be a good person and still be selfish. That's how you are. You're nice to everybody, even annoying stalkers like Guiche or Kirche. You even made friends with Isabella de Martel for no reason other than that you wanted to. So I'll ask you again. Why do you think you can use selfishness as an excuse?"

He was speechless at the statement, completely at a loss for words. Not only was her argument itself unexpected, but the fact that this was Louise saying it and not someone more likely like Henrietta just blew it out of the water.

He had absolutely no clue how to respond, so he didn't. Instead, he sighed and hung his head, knowing he was beaten.

"Fine. I see your point…" he replied. "But I can't go back on what I said earlier either. I'm not suitable for being a Chevalier."

"I know you're not." she replied. "You're too meticulous about everything, but as soon as you get into a fight you just abandon all sense of direction and get really reckless. You'd be a terrible soldier, much less a Chevalier." Her frown morphed into a smile, and she stood tall, her hands on her hips in a proud pose. "Which just means I need to whip you into a decent one. I don't know the slightest bit about swordplay, but I can at least train you to deal with magic. I may be terrible at using spells other than Explosion, but I happen to be very good at the base work for everything."

He blinked, before smiling. With her appearance and skill set, it was easy to forget that Louise was actually a model student outside of practical tests. "I'm not a mage though, how could I get any sort of resistance?"

Louise grinned mischievously, and he blinked, laughing hesitantly as he stepped back, raising his hands defensively. "Wait, you're not thinking of…"

"That's right...It's about time you actually were an official student here."

He blinked in surprise at the statement, completely taken aback. He'd fully expected her to say something along the lines of an Explosion firing squad at him, not something so...mundane.

"Up until now, you've only gone to a few classes, and mostly at times when I forced you to. I know you're into researching stuff on your own, but why not get a formal education? You're not a mage, but you're the familiar of one, meaning that knowledge is still useful."

His stare prompted her to tilt her head in confusion. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked, and he shook his head.

"It's just...that's the most logical and intelligent thing I've ever heard you say." he replied, to which she puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.

"Keep that up and I'll blast you into a wall like when I first met you." she stated. "That'll prove that you need the training."

He nodded, scratching his chin as he thought over the idea. "It's...A good idea, actually. It's kind of far into the year now, but I can probably catch up before summer break starts...If I supplement it with more lessons outside of class from Colbert or Henrietta, it can work, and I can ask Agnes or Cheri if they can train me in swordsmanship…" He shook his head at the thought. "No, they're going to be really busy now that Tristain's joining the war, so that won't be possible...But who else both has the sword skill and is available? Most of the students here have never even touched a sword, much less used one in combat, and the teachers definitely don't use weapons…"

"You can think about all that later! For now, it's more important that you handle the magic stuff...You can make do with Gandalfr's power for now, you need to be more balanced before focusing on one thing you're already fairly good at."

He blinked, confused at her statement. The words made sense, but...There was no way Louise could be so fast on the uptake. He looked at her, a serious expression on his face. "Louise…" he said, and she nodded.

"Yes?" she asked, and he sighed.

"Are you...reading off a script or something?" When she hung her head, he sighed. "Who told you about all this?"

"...The princess did...Sorry, I'm not good at coming up with ideas on the spot…"


	98. Enrollment

David sat uncomfortably as Louise waited for a response from the principal, who sat with his hands folded together in thought at what she'd suggested to him.

"I hope you realize what you're implying, Miss Valliere." Osmond stated, his tone more serious than usual. "This is a magic academy, and Mister Wilson is not a mage. To enroll him here would be to violate one of the most obvious application rules. It would be something no academy has done before."

"But he's shown he's capable of duelling before! He was able to take down Cromwell after he assassinated the king!" So that was the story she'd been told. At least she didn't have to know about what had actually happened. He silently thanked Casper, and allowed himself a small smile at her reply.

"Which makes this an even more dangerous gamble to be making." the old man stated. "David is not aware of our codes and customs, he does not follow an honor system. His decision to attack Reconquista was based on an emotional drive for vengeance. Such instability is not a safe thing to be promoting."

"But he was defending the kingdom by doing so! Sure it wasn't for the most noble of causes, but at its root, he was fighting an enemy of Tristain. He also protected the Albion royal family in the process!"

"Louise, it's fine, you don't need to get so worked up…" David said. "Of course there'd be problems, and me not being a mage is the biggest one...I can go through independent research, it's fine…"

"You didn't let me finish." the principal said, and the two blinked, turning their attention back to him. His eyes crinkled closed in his usual expression as he smiled. "It seems that it's not my choice despite my concerns. I received a mandate from Queen Marianne yesterday. It appears that the royal family predicted this happening and took steps ahead of time. The princess made quite the convincing argument."

"Wait, so-" Louise said, surprised, and he nodded.

"I heard that you rejected the title of Chevalier, is that righT?" he asked, looking at the boy, who blinked before nodding. "Quite the brave decision to make, but I think I understand the reasoning...Still, Chevalier or not, you are an important asset to the royal family. I won't pretend to understand why, but I presume it's due to your connection to Brimir's void, as Miss Valliere is. Therefore, whether you can use magic or not doesn't play a role...I suspect that with war coming, it will become imperative that you understand better how the nature of magic works, even if you can't use it yourself. It will be hard, the first-year professor is not a lenient man and he will likely pressure you into catching up with everyone rapidly. Are you sure you can handle that?"

David nodded without hesitation. He'd assumed it would be difficult, but the old man was right. It was about time he got on track with everyone else. Learning magic out of personal interest wasn't going to cut it anymore, not with Reconquista making its move.

After the failed negotiations meeting, he knew that trying to follow canon no longer would work. From now on, he'd have to make his own path as best he could. While learning magic, he'd also need to lay out a good groundwork for potential issues later down the line, in preparation for leaving...though with how different things were, he doubted things would go as well as he hoped.

At least he'd resolved some longterm issues, primarily with Tabitha and Agnes. With Georgia safe and sound, he didn't think Joseph would be stupid enough to kidnap her later on, and now that he'd resolved Agnes' past, he hoped that she'd forgive Colbert.

New Divide's goals had certainly broadened since he first came up with the plan. He doubted it would stay as it was now for long either. Still, now wasn't the time to be thinking of such things, he had to deal with the more mundane task of transferring officially into the school system.

"How is it going to work? On Earth, to be in school, you needed family records and some form of identification, and we didn't have any real caste systems in my country."

Osmond shook his head. "There's no need for any of that. Normally, yes, it would require quite a bit of effort to get in, but you're a special case. Your presence is well-recorded, especially thanks to the splash you made at the Familiar Exhibition, and you've done plenty of deeds for the kingdom to prove your mettle...What's ironic is that most mages who join the academy have done much less than you already have. You've done more than enough to be acknowledged as a student." He chuckled to himself. "Of course, the first-years don't know about any of that, so you'll be completely unknown to them. I hope you don't mind your popularity dropping!"

"It'll be nice to not be known by anyone." he said. "I only know one first-year, and we're barely acquaintances, so it'll be nice to be unknown."

The man laughed at the statement, nodding in understanding. "Most people would prefer to be popular, but you're more comfortable in the shadows, aren't you?" he asked, before leaning back in his chair. "Well, everything's been prepared. I'll have Siesta bring you the syllabus and guide you there. You two are fond of her, aren't you?"

Louise's eyebrow twitched at the mention of the girl, but she nodded anyway. "She's technically my personal servant anyway, though David wasn't here to know about that."

"You told me when I got back from Gallia, but I didn't think it actually meant anything. Isn't it pretty much just to prevent another Mott incident?"

"Yeah. basically. I have to admit though, she's pretty useful...for a maid." she replied, before standing out of her chair and bowing to the principal. "Thank you for your help, sir." she said, and he smiled, before blinking as his mouse familiar climbed up to his shoulder.

He tapped the mouse with a finger. "Oh, hello Chuchu." he stated, and David sighed as he listened to the mouse squeaking. "Oh, pink? Interesting."

Louise eeped at the statement, holding her hands to her skirt. "Old pervert!" she accused, and the man shrugged.

"You're almost 18 now, it's technically fine!" he stated, laughing as Louise quickly dragged David out of the room.

"I hate that guy sometimes." she said. "Honestly, doing it to staff is one thing, but students too? How is he not arrested for that?"

"Probably because it's not really illegal." David replied. "This world's got such lax laws in some places, but such strict ones in other.s It's weird."


	99. School Bells

David didn't know why Louise still looked at Siesta with such a sour expression whenever she was around. It wasn't like she had anything to be jealous about, David had made it clear the two were just friends...Even after he'd gotten the habit of referring to her as Sasaki-chan. Apparently despite not understanding Japanese, the pinkette still could roughly understand the meaning.

In any case, it had taken several minutes to convince Louise to let Siesta escort him to the first-year classroom, an area he was unfamiliar with. The syllabus was simple enough, lessons on runes and the nature of magic. Seems that they were currently working on learning elementless spells like the ever-useful Unlock.

"Sasaki-chan, do you know about this teacher? I don't think I've ever seen him here." he said, showing her the syllabus, and she looked it over, checking the teacher's name.

"Guiteau Dubois de Martin...Sorry, I've never heard of him. I mostly deal with cleaning up dorms and such, I don't really interact much with teachers." She looked forward, nodding. "Well, this is the right tower...I'm pretty sure you're still going to be staying with Louise though, you won't get a first-year dorm room."

"Yeah, I pretty much expected that. At least she lets me sleep on the couch now instead of that stupid hay pile." He shrugged, sighing defeatedly. "Anyway, thanks for the help! Honestly, I keep forgetting how helpful you are."

She smiled, nodding and turning to leave, before stopping, turning around and smiling as she held her hands behind her back.

"You look good in that uniform!" she said, and he smiled, shifting the pentagram pin on his collar. Wearing the uniform was bizarre to him, but it wasn't all that uncomfortable, other than the cloak rubbing against his neck constantly.

He stopped at the door, closing his eyes and breathing deeply as he raised a fist to knock, but to his surprise, the door opened before he could do so much as blink.

"Come on in, Mister…" the man looked about in his 40s, wearing...what seemed to be an adult version of the school uniform, though his cape was a deep red in coloration. The man's face was curled in confusion as he tried to fish for the student's name. "Er...Wardes."

David's eye ticked at the name, but he kept himself calm. "Wilson." he corrected, and the teacher nodded, turning aside with a twirl to let him in, and he walked into the door, looking around the room, where the first-year class were all looking closely at him.

"Class, this is our newcomer, Mister Williams!" the instructor said, posing as if to present the very confused David.

"Wilson." he corrected again. "I'm guessing you're Mister Martin?"

"Please, call me Guiteau!" the man replied. "Go on, there's a place to sit next to…" The odd teacher scanned the room, before pointing to an empty space on the 3rd row from the front, between the girl David recognized as Kelly and a male student he didn't know, who was tanned and had the same red hair as Kirche. Another Germanian? "Miss Dulce and Mister Rainiero. You two, be nice to Mister Wales."

David sweatdropped as he walked to the seat, where Kelly eagerly shifted to let him in. Did this guy intentionally screw up his name?

"He does it to you too, huh?" the Germanian asked, laughing as David sat next to him. "He only does it to the male students...My name's actually Ludwig Reiner, not Rainiero. You're David, right? Kelly's told me about you."

Kelly grinned, scooting a little closer to the new student and laughing. "I was surprised when I heard you were joining the class. Welcome though! You're a student now!"

He smiled, and Ludwig tilted his head. "You know each other?"

David nodded, turning to him. "We've seen each other a few times, at the schoolwide events mostly." He turned to Kelly. "Would you say we're friends?"

She shrugged. "Acquaintances, I think. We don't really know each other well enough to be friend. But I'm sure that'll change!"

"Mister Williams, would you please tell the class your magic affinity, if you know it?" Guiteau stated, and David blinked, turning to him.

"I don't have magic. I'm actually a familiar of one of the second-year students." A few whispers around the class, before the man tsked, waving his index finger at the reply.

"Wrong answer. I have been teaching for twenty years, and I have never taught a student who could not perform magic. You being of a different world does not matter, by the year's end, you will be performing spells just like everyone else!"

A bold claim, he had to assume that Osmond had explained the situation beforehand. Was this guy really serious?

Guiteau continued to speak, though it shifted to the class as a whole now as he lifted his wand, and with a short incantation, the chalkboard along the flat wall he stood in front of cleared of dust, the remaining dust collecting and connecting to an existing piece of chalk...an odd but useful application of magic, and one that showed just how high-level the teacher's control over wind was. Clearly, despite his oddities, he was a very capable teacher.

"Now, then. Miss Dulce, would you kindly summarize yesterday's lesson for our newcomer?"

Kelly nodded, standing and bowing before speaking, talking clearly and loudly enough for the class to hear. "We went over the Pentagon of Elements, consisting of fire, wind, water, earth, and void, and made predictions on which are best for certain situations as opposed to others. We also began studying elementless spells." She bowed again and sat down, and the man smiled, pointing at her.

"That is correct!" he stated. "Elemental magic is important, and of course, as you all know, I believe that wind is the most powerful and versatile type, as shown by historical greats such as Karin of the Heavy Wind, but elementless magic is equally important. Most of you have not yet learned your elemental affinities, and many of you don't even know more than the basics of casting spells. That is where elementless magic comes in."

He turned to Ludwig, pointing at the boy. "Ringo! What is the spell you demonstrated two weeks ago against Miss Dulce that resulted in her shirt coming undone?"

Kelly blushed and shrank in her seat, covering her chest with her hands as David looked at her in confusion, while Ludwig stood, bowing as she had done for the previous question.

"That was the Unlock spell, sir! The most basic of basic spells, intended for opening mechanisms if you already understand how they work!" He sat down again as Guiteau ignored the several angry glares at the boy from many female students.

"Correct! The Unlock spell is a perfect example of a basic spell that is useful in many applications." He wielded a piece of chalk, turning to the board and starting to write. "Let's say you have 100 Willpower Points at the start of a duel." He drew a stick figure with the number 100 next to it. "Let's say you use a regular Dot-class Fireball. It will take up 25 Willpower points." He subtracted from the 100. "Then you use another one. See, you already only have half your original amount, and you've only cast one spell twice. Likewise, many elemental spells are useful only in certain situations. Fireball is an offensive fire spell, its purpose is explosive power. But what if your opponent is a defensive-type like earth? You'll have wasted half your willpower without doing much damage to your opponent!"

He looked around, before pointing at another student, a blonde-haired girl sitting on the first row. "Miss Huron! If the opponent has put up a Line-class Mud Wall, then what can you do, assuming you are a Line-class Fire mage wielding fire and water?"

The girl looked thoughtful as the students turned to her. "Well, if it wastes so much energy on a single move, without even doing a Line-class…" She nodded. "Then you can use the Lance spell to pierce through it, or the Shield spell to reverse its reflective power."

"Indeed. Let's assume you go offensive and use the Lance spell. Lance is an elementless projectile spell, and in our example, we'll say that it takes 15 Willpower Points to use! Now, naturally, it doesn't have the destructive power of Fireball, but as you can see, you can use it up to three times without even using as much energy as only two Fireballs. Likewise, as an elementless skill, it is not bound by the strengths and weaknesses between two elements, and it can be combined with other elements to produce more powerful variants! In that way, you have many more options than if you were just using elements!"

David's attention was entirely on the lesson now. Guiteau may be a strange individual, but he certainly was clear in his explanations. He was a pretty good teacher, at least so far.

Still, he dreaded the homework he knew would be coming. He had 4 months of lessons to catch up on, and he doubted he'd be given much of a grace period since his transfer was so sudden. He needed to pay attention in class until he had a grasp of what everyone else had much longer to figure out.


	100. Another Guiche?

**Chapter 100 came by faster than expected, but here we are! For it, I'd like to make an announcement...I decided to calculate how many words the story is going to be based on my plot points, so here's the final numbers:**

 **Part 1 (Following Canon) - 600-700k words**

 **Part 2 (?) - 500k words  
Part 3 (Final Arcs) - 1m words**

 **Total - 2 million!**

 **Hope you all can stay for the next 4 years while it keeps on going! I haven't lost steam yet and I hope not to until it's all over!**

* * *

"Miss Huron, Mister Engine, please come to the front of the class. You will be demonstrating elementless magic, as both of you have shown proficiency before." Guiteau said, to which David sweatdropped. How did he even have a word for "Engine"? Two students, the blonde girl from earlier and a green-haired boy from the back of the class, came forward, standing in front of the teacher, who nodded and pulled his wand out, flicking it to reveal a loop of rope that had been knotted and hidden behind his podium. "This rope was tied using the Lock spell, naturally, the opposite of the Unlock spell. Miss Huron, please cast Unlock on one of the knots."

The girl nodded, lifting her wand to point at the rope, which stayed suspended in the air with Guiteau's wind magic. "Unlock!" she shouted, casting the spell without any added incantation...David didn't know the runic system, but it seemed simple spells didn't need anything extra. Still, nothing happened, and the tip of her wand lowered in surprise, before she flicked it again. "Unlock!"

She tried a few more times, but the rope stayed knotted, and the green-haired boy sighed. "No, you aren't doing it right." he said, and from his voice, David instantly didn't like him...The guy reminded him too much of Guiche, arrogant and irritating in his stance as he raised his own wand. "Sigel cen þorn. Unlock."

To the blonde's surprise, the rope came undone, slipping to the ground as Guiteau stepped in front of the two.

"Excellent job as usual, Mister Etna." the teacher said, and the boy smiled, tapping his bottom lip with the tip of his wand before, with a fluid motion, slipping it into the sleeve of his uniform. "Can you explain to the class what Miss Huron did wrong?"

The boy nodded. "She neglected to realize that you were holding it with wind magic, and therefore, the knot possessed magical properties. So I spun together three runes, sigel, the sun, cen, the torch, and þorn, the thorn, to break it, as they possess qualities that can be used to burn or tear a rope. Combining them with the Unlock spell provides it with added precision to get past the wind magic, but does not move so harshly that it breaks."

Guiteau clapped twice at the statement. "Correct! As usual, you are on top of your studies. Please be seated, you two."

The girl went to her seat quickly, and the arrogant boy walked up the path near David, looking at him as he walked up and ignoring the look Ludwig gave him.

"How did you like that, Gandalfr?" he asked quietly, and David blinked, but didn't have the time to respond before the boy was already past him and in his seat.

Ludwig groaned, crossing his arms behind his head and looking back at the boy. "I really don't like that guy. He thinks he's so much better than us just because he has two elements already mastered."

"Who is he?" David asked, and Kelly tapped his arm to get his attention.

"Frances de Erikson. He's a member of one of the royal family's advisor families. He always acts like they're a cadet branch even though they're not."

David sighed, scratching his head. "I'm pretty sure the de la Vallieres are the only cadet branch that still matter." he said, looking at his left hand. "He referred to me as Gandalfr...Does he know that I'm connected to them?"

Ludwig laughed, slapping the boy's back. "He's probably jealous of you, don't worry about it. It'll pass eventually and he'll treat you as coldly as he does everyone else!" He tapped his chin. "But...What is Gandalfr? Is that your runic name? That's so cool that you have one already, most people don't get official ones until third year!"

Kelly sighed, grabbing David's left hand and holding it up. "This is Gandalfr, idiot. David's a familiar, so he has the runes every familiar has. Honestly, if you paid attention in class you'd know about this already, they literally explained Void familiars like a week ago."

"Hey, I pay attention! I've got a higher grade than you do at least!" Ludwig defended, and David blinked as Kelly twisted his arm around in irritation.

"I know, and it pisses me off that you can do that when you slack off so much!"

"Uhh...can you let my arm go?" David asked, and Kelly blinked, before obliging in surprise.

"Sorry, I forgot I was holding it!" she said, before sighing. "I really don't like you, Reiner. Why are we friends?"

The Germanian grinned, closing his eyes to accentuate the expression. "Because I'm cute!" he replied.

Kelly shook her head. "You are not cute! David, you're on my side, right?"

Daavid blinked, looking between them, before laughing hesitantly. "He is kind of cute…" he replied. "Like my little sister, Sheena." He blinked, before sighing, his happy mood suddenly dropping as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "It's May now, so she's probably had her birthday by now. That makes her...9? I wonder how she's doing…"

"Getting stuck in another world's rough, isn't it?" Kelly asked, and he sighed, sitting straight.

"It is, but I have to plan forward. I'll see them again someday, I just have to handle things until I do." In his mind, it was an absolute certainty. No matter how his plans went, he would see them again. He didn't know how he'd explain himself when he did, but he would make it back.

"Mister Washed-up!" Guiteau said. "Since you're being so talkative, please come up and show what you've learned!"

David blinked, looking forward. _Is he even trying?_ he asked himself, before standing, heading to the front and sighing. "I told you I can't use magic." he said as the teacher handed him his own wand, since he didn't have one.

"And I told you that I'm going to beat it into you if I have to. Just try it." He smiled. "You want to show Mister Eridan that you're not to be trifled with, don't you?"

He blinked, before Casper's voice came into his head. "I don't like him either, so let's put on a show. I can cast the spell for you, you just perform the chant."

He blinked, before smiling, and raised the wand to the re-knotted rope, left on the floor this time since Guiteau didn't have the wand now. That meant he didn't need the extra chanting, a simple Unlock would be fine. He trusted Casper to do it properly.

"Unlock." he said, and the rope twisted on the ground, coming undone exactly as expected, a small breeze forming as it did so.

The class was silent, and he smiled as he looked at the teacher, who grinned, revealing a second wand he'd been holding in his other hand.

"So much for not having magic." he said. "I took the liberty of blocking your little friend, so that was all you."


	101. Commoner's Magic

"I told you, didn't I?" the teacher said, grinning at the shocked look on David's face. "I said that I've never taught a student who couldn't use magic…" He waved his wand, and with a flick, the breeze cut out as he turned to face the class. "This brings us to our next lesson. You've learned the runes. You've learned the pentagon. Some of you have learned to use elements. But magic is not simply a weapon, nor is it a mere tool to be wielded. Magic is more than simple words and willpower. Take this boy, for example. He was so convinced that he could not perform even the simplest of spells because he is not of this world. He tried to get outside help, and using that, he became certain that it would work. In this way, I forced him to draw out his own power, without him even realizing it." He turned to David and grinned. "You aren't the first student I've taught who could not wield magic when they first came here...though you are the first non-Halkeginian."

"I'm sorry, David." Casper said. "This man...He's a Square-class wind mage, his power exceeds mine by a large margin. It seems he had both of us wrapped around his finger…"

 _I underestimated him...Wait, so that means that I can…_ He held his left hand up, looking at the runes, expecting them to be lit, but to his surprise, they were dormant. So it wasn't connected to Gandalfr...It made sense, as Guiteau said, wands were not made to be weapons. Then again, that didn't explain how he'd managed to perform the spell.

"David you may sit." the teacher said, and he nodded, barely focused on the man, before blinking and raising his hand to give the wand back, before Guiteau shook his head and smiled. "I expected you wouldn't have a wand, so you may use that one. It will serve you well at least until you get your own. Wands are not special devices, they-"

"They're just a way to focus magic. I already know that." he said, pocketing the wand, to which the teacher nodded in surprise as he headed back to his seat.

"Well, anyway, those of you who are surprised by this, don't be. I told you at the beginning of the year that I believe there is no true distinction between noble and commoner. Everyone is blessed by the Primogenitor's will, and therefore everyone has the capacity for magic...though naturally, that capacity is not equal for everyone."

David looked back as Frances tsked. "Primogenitor this and Primogenitor that...Magic's not a religious thing, explaining it like that is pointless…" He turned his gaze to David and growled. "What are you looking at?"

David blinked, turning back to face forward. He didn't know much about Brimirism, but it seemed like almost everyone in the academy followed it, so it was odd to him that someone else wasn't one other than him.

Why was it even called Brimirism anyway? Brimir and the Primogenitor were two completely separate topics, why were they connected through the name?

"Everyone has the capacity for magic, but that does not mean that magic is equally distributed among its wielders. The current caste system exists because it comes far easier to some families than to others...Though there are exceptions that overlap. Fallen nobles are commoners but can wield powerful magic at times, such as in the case of Fouquet of the Crumbling Earth, and vice versa, there are nobles such as Agnes Chevalier de Milan who possess no magic whatsoever and yet are held in high regards for their deeds to the country. Today I demonstrated that divide by introducing this experiment, and it'll be a good segway into learning elementless magic. You've all seen how the Unlock spell works now, and you've also seen an example of fire magic wielded by Mister Engine. You won't be learning any of that until later in the next semester, but you will all be able to at least wield Unlock perfectly by the end of this month, as well as gaining a few other spells that you'll find useful."

~~~Several Hours Later~~~

The man motioned with his wand, and the drawing on the whiteboard of the explanation of willpower vanished, the chalk returning to the chalk stick again...An oddly niche skill that probably was incredibly useful. "Now then, with that, class dismissed!"

As he made to leave, he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder, and he turned around to see Ludwig grinning as Kelly stood by him. "Sitting around in the same classroom all day is so tiring. You okay? It's probably pretty surprising that he can rant on long enough to make everyone stay for lunch, but it's pretty much normal for him."

David smiled, shaking his head as the three walked out. "Usually I skip lunch anyway to stay with the other familiars or train. I'm about to head there now actually, I haven't gotten a chance to meet them in a while. Want to come?"

"That would be awesome!" Ludwig stated, laughing. "It's so strange to think that even though you're human, you're also a familiar too...Bet it gives you some sort of bond with them, huh?"

"Will we be intruding if we come?" Kelly asked, and David shook his head.

"Sylphid may be a bit nervous, but she's smart enough to understand you're friends. It's not a problem."

"Then let's go! Lead the way, David!" Ludwig said, and he smiled, heading out of the tower towards the field reserved for the animals, followed by the two.

He had barely set foot on the grass before he felt the scaly body of Flame wrapping around his legs, and he smiled and bent over to pat the salamander's back, the creature making a happy croaking sound at his presence.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" he asked as the familiar scooted along the ground next to the group while they headed towards the other animals resting on the grass.

As usual, he went right up to Sylphid, who raised her head as she sensed his presence, her lens-less blue eyes narrowing at the sight of the two unknown humans, before she accepted their usual greeting, tapping her snout against David's open hand.

He rubbed the top of her head and grinned. "It seems I'm a mage now." he told the dragon, before waving to the other two. "These are Ludwig and Kelly, they're my friends."

She looked between them, shifting to stand up and sniffing at them as they stood still, Kelly clearly nervous while Ludwig just smiled. It was several seconds before the dragon backed off, sitting on her hindquarters to look at them.

"I...didn't think anyone had a dragon. Isn't that a familiar only Dragon Knights get?" Kelly asked, blinking as Sylphid tilted her head.

"Sylphid was summoned by a Gallian friend of mine. She's not just a dragon, she's a special breed called a rhythm dragon...It sounds crazy, but trust me, if you knew Tabitha, you'd have no doubt that she can summon something like Sylphid." He laughed as the dragon watched them. "She's as smart as if not smarter than any person, so it's best to act as if she's just a mute human rather than an animal."

Of course, she did have a human form, but even David had yet to see it...For some reason, he had a nagging feeling that if he did, it would mean the end of New Divide's influence, so he never brought up the topic.

Besides, rhythm dragons were poorly researched, meaning he'd have a lot of explaining to do if he mentioned that he knew about her ability to transform.


	102. The Rhythm Dragon's Song

**Happy Halloween everyone! I meant to get a chapter out yesterday, but my power went out so I lost the mood...Here it is a little late!**

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It was nice to just relax, the three friends leaning on Sylphid's side, the dragon surprisingly fine with the two added people as Ludwig ran his hand along her neck.

"Man, I'd love to get a familiar like this one when it's my turn to do the ritual. Can you imagine, me flying around on the back of a dragon?"

"I don't think any dragon would want you riding them, you're way too hyperactive." Kelly said, lying with her arms sprawled behind her over the dragon's flank. "You heard David, you have to treat them like big silent people. Would you want an annoying little kid crawling on you and making you run around?"

David laughed at Sylphid turning to look at the two, a growling sound coming from deep in her throat, her eyes narrowed at them. "She doesn't like being compared to lesser dragons." he explained at Kelly's shocked expression. "And she likes being ridden, I've done it many times."

"Well, you're different than this idiot. You're cool and collected unlike this idiot, and you're also a familiar yourself. Of course she lets you on." Kelly said, and David laughed, standing to walk up to Sylphid's head, holding his hands on the top and bottom of her snout to calm her down, and as her eyes closed to accept his touch, he looked to the two.

"I'll admit that my runes have a small role, but it's not just that. Sylphid's incredibly smart, she can pick up on a person's hidden emotions...She's snapped at me more than once because I wasn't feeling up to standard. You'd be surprised at how quickly you forget your problems when your head's stuck in her beak."

"She bites?" Ludwig asked, and David laughed, before he quickly dropped off as Sylphid raised her head, opening her mouth and setting her beak around the Gandalfr's head, not tight enough to hurt, but enough to demonstrate by forcing David to stay still.

"...Yes. Not hard though, luckily. She could probably crush your skull if she wanted to."

"An adorable weapon?" Kelly asked, and Ludwig laughed as Syphid removed her beak from David's head, shifting so she could look between them more easily.

"Pretty much." David replied, patting her head before moving back to where he'd been leaning on her. "She's also a pretty good pillow. More comfortable than the grass at least."

"You called her a rhythm dragon...can she sing?" Ludwig asked, before Kelly lightly punched the back of his head.

"Moron, if she can't speak, she can't sing." she said, though seconds later, her eyes widened as below her back, the dragon's body started to vibrate as she hummed, a clear sound that quickly developed into a pattern.

"Yes, she can sing. 'Rhythm dragon' is a name that they definitely deserve." David said, grinning as he leaned back, closing his eyes and humming as well, keeping in time with her sound...He recognized it, oddly enough, though he couldn't quite put his finger on which song it was. Did he ever sing anything around her? He couldn't really remember, but he must have and forgotten about it.

The other two went silent, simply listening to the two's tandem humming, and at the sound, several other familiars started collecting around them, Verdante and Flame most notably heading straight for David. The salamander took his lap, wrapping himself in a ball with his tail safely away from the human's clothing, while the mole took a spot next to his feet, to the surprise of the other two.

David may get along with the other familiars well, but he never had as much charisma as he did when he was in his world of music. That as where he was most at home, and that was where his words could change people.

Whether it changed Ludwig and Kelly or not was unimportant, however. This wasn't a time for powerful songs or life-changing events. It was simply a boy enjoying spending time with his big blue dragon friend.

Sylphid wasn't an ally, nor was she an enemy. She was not a member of the main cast, and she wasn't part of New Divide. This one moment entirely encompassed exactly what she was to David.

A friend. Nothing more, nothing less. She was a dragon and there were few words spoken between them anymore, and David had never heard her speak directly. But they didn't need to. Maybe it was because they were both familiars, or maybe they simply got along well. Either way, they didn't need words to be friends. They just were. And it wasn't the same for Verdante and Flame either. David was fond of them, but they were more like pets than friends.

It truly was a relationship unique to a rhythm dragon. One that could perfectly be described purely through this wordless humming, and from the looks on the first-years' faces, they understood what was happening as well.

David was a musician, through and through. It only made sense that he got along with an animal with rhythm in its name.

The two's humming slowly tapered off, before they went silent, and David opened his eyes as Ludwig clapped his hands together, the two grinning.

"That was amazing." Kelly said. "Do you practice that often?"

David smiled as Sylphid cooed. "Nope, we've never done that before. She doesn't usually do that, so I figured I'd join in too."

"That was way too good to have been unplanned." Ludwig said. "Are you some sort of bard?"

David sweatdropped. "Um, a guitarist and singer, but that's really not related. Maybe Sylphid and I just know each other well enough that we can match each other's humming."

At the statement, Sylphid produced another coo, and he smiled. "It's best to make friends with those who could kill you. That applies to both humans and animals."

"It makes sense. It's kind of like the whole Reconquista situation in Albion, isn't it?" Kelly asked, and Ludwig nodded.

"I wonder why King Henri hasn't made an announcement on it in a while. Maybe it's starting to settle down but he doesn't want to say in case it gets our hopes up?"

David blinked at the two's conversation as Kelly nodded. "Can you imagine if we all assumed that things were settled, and then boom, war?" she asked. "It's scary to think that it's a real possibility…"

"Hey, you're a girl, so you won't have to actually get into the fighting. If a draft happened, I'd get sent out. So would you, wouldn't you, David?"

David, however, wasn't paying attention, standing still in thought. They didn't know. They weren't aware of what had happened in Albion.

They had no idea that Henri was dead.


	103. Homework

**Congrats to tylermech66 for being the 500th review! Halfway to the next milestone!**

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Marianne and Henrietta had chosen not to say anything about the events that had transpired in Londinium. He knew why, it was a smart decision not to publicize it. The meeting was unannounced anyway, and the Council, lead by Cardinal Mazarin, were fully capable of handling the politics of the kingdom while the matter of succession was being decided. He knew the process was complicated, but he highly doubted anyone would be chosen other than Henrietta since she was the only legitimate heir to the throne, as well as a fully capable leader and mage herself.

Still, it worried him that despite what had happened to the king, she was still sending messages as normal. He knew why, naturally. She was trying to show that she could be useful even past the emotional blow she had to be feeling, but despite his stating she could stop for the time being, she'd insisted on continuing with their messaging system. Now that Louise knew about New Divide, David no longer had to worry about hiding his letter-sending...not that it had been doing anything before, considering how easily he'd been found out without realizing it. The pinkette was far more observant than she let on.

Right now, however, his thoughts were not on Henrietta, or Louise, or the plan at all. Instead, he was seated at the desk in Louise's dorm, staring at the massive pile of papers Guiteau had handed him.

This was the homework he'd missed. The odd teacher was certainly not forgiving, that was for sure, but he'd fully expected this as he took the first packet from the top of the pile and looked it over.

"Oh, thank God." he said to himself. "A list of runes...finally, something I can use often…" He blinked as he felt Casper's presence briefly, but it vanished as Louise stepped behind him to look at what he was doing.

"Founder, you have a lot of work to do…" the girl said, pulling a chair up to sit next to him as he sighed, scratching the side of his head.

"That's what happens when you transfer to a magic academy almost 5 months in." he said. "I've only got a month before the semester's over, and I have to do all this before then. I don't really know how he managed to trick me into using the Unlock spell without actually being able to use magic, but if I can do that, surely I can manage more."

It had been as big a surprise to Louise as it had to himself when he'd told her he could use the spell, and he had successfully demonstrated it when she'd demanded so, using it on a string she'd tied using the Lock spell, once again demonstrating that despite her inability to use elemental magic, her elementless skill was fitting of an honor student. Still, he had been unable to use Lock himself, or any other elementless skill she'd shown him. It seemed he could only perform the one spell for now. It made sense, before that day, he didn't even know he had the capacity for magic. One spell was more than expected.

"That's runes, isn't it?" she asked, leaning forward in her seat to look at the packet. "I don't recognize that symbol…" She pointed over his arm to an asterisk-like symbol. "ᚣ, Yr...It must have been added to the curriculum recently, or maybe I just forgot." She sweatdropped. "It's not like I use the runic alphabet much, considering literally the only spell I can correctly use is Explosion…"

At least she was humorous about it. It was better than the whiny Louise he knew from the anime...Though now that he thought about it, it felt like a long time ago that that had happened. Like another life almost. Living with the real deal for so long seriously was changing his perspective on her.

He certainly didn't hate this version anymore. She was much mellower and was even nice at times, though usually she was still her regular bossy self, but the 'tsun' part of her tsundere nature was all but invisible. It was bizarre, but welcome.

"Maybe it's just being used this year. According to the table it means 'bow', so it's probably a projectile-type of some sort." he mused, and she blinked at the statement.

"You've figured out how chants work quickly, haven't you?" she asked, and he nodded.

"There's a guy in the class who's ridiculously arrogant, but I have to admit he's a talented mage...He explained pretty clearly that the meaning of the words changes the spell's purpose."

"It took me like a month to realize the connection when I was learning elementless magic…" she said jealously, before smiling, raising a fist to lightly punch the back of his head. "Don't get ahead of me now, okay? The master's not supposed to be weaker than the familiar."

He grinned, cringing as a twinge of pain hit his head, and he quickly shifted his right arm to cover his rune hand to keep her from noticing the brief flash of light from the symbols. "But the familiar's supposed to protect the master, so it follows that I should be stronger than you, doesn't it?"

"I'm barely doing much anymore, it's all you now." she said, and he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "All this craziness with New Divide, and whatever happened in Albion, it's not up to me anymore. And you know what, I don't really mind it at this point. I used to always feel the need to prove myself, but you're doing a fine job of that without my help...And I know you're not in my class to witness it, but you being so well known has really helped keep everyone from attacking me for my weaknesses."

He blinked, looking at her, surprised by the very genuine smile on her face. It was rare for her to compliment him, and for her to confide like this was nearly unheard of. It was as if, at least for that instant, she'd let all her self-confidence issues simply vanish, just long enough to say that, before she went back to normal and looked at his work.

"I can help you, at least. I don't remember everything, but the basic stuff is pretty much second nature to me now, though I can't help with memorizing runes…"

"It's fine, I know I have to do this myself too. I'll definitely need help reading passages and such since I haven't gotten very far in learning to read Tristainian yet…"

She laughed, crossing her arms. "That's because you're having Tabitha teach you. She's Gallian, the languages aren't the same. They're similar, but all those books she gives you to read aren't written like ours. And...Guiteau's known for writing his own passages for stuff like English class, and he uses an old style. I might have to read it to you, then you can at least understand it using that universal translation spell you have…"

"I still have no idea how you managed to invent that spell, especially since you were trying to use a silencing spell at the time…" he said. "Maybe universal translation is a void skill?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. The silencing spell has a wind element to it, so it might have been subverted somehow...I don't get how it works. It's kind of hard to understand why my spells work sometimes and don't work others. It's so confusing…"


	104. Guiteau Rants

The kids sitting around David watched as he mumbled to himself, his face planted firmly on the desk. He'd gotten very little sleep after accepting Louise's help. A slave driver indeed, she's kept him up past 5 drilling the language and runes into his head.

He'd wanted to learn fast, but doing that entire pile of papers in one night was a bit much, and now he was barely focused on anything around him.

Normally he could pull all-nighters and be fine, but doing so much work in such a short period of time was so draining on him that he could barely lift his head when he heard his name called.

"David, you okay?" Ludwig asked, looking at him worriedly. "You seem so tired…"

"I didn't get much sleep." he replied, stretching in an effort to wake himself up and leaning back on his chair. "I had a ton of homework to do to catch up to everyone...I finished all the non-magic stuff, but I still have a lot to do with magic." At least with that he had plenty of people who could help out.

"You shouldn't rush it if you're going to pass out the day after." Kelly said, patting his back gently. "You'll just crash like that. It's a good thing today's just a review day, or else he'd probably make you get up and do another test to show off your magic."

He groaned at the statement, looking at his runes and sighing. "I couldn't use anything else last night, even though I tried. Louise showed me how to do some other elementless spells, but the only one I could replicate is Unlock."

"Hey, don't worry about it. To be able to use even one spell on your first ever time trying to use magic is amazing in its own regard. You'll get the hang of it eventually."

"It would be nice to know magic, but maybe Gandalfr is interfering with it." he mused. "It would make sense, since it boosts my stamina and such, so it's essentially the opposite of magic."

"I still have no idea what that means, but I'm sure you can use both." Ludwig said, grinning. "I don't know anything about void, but I bet it's just like any other element. It shouldn't interfere with elementless magic, should it?"

"I suppose not…" he said, humming in thought. Did Gandalfr count as void magic? It was a familiar rune, not magic in and of itself, so surely he couldn't be considered a void mage by using it. It just reminded him how little he actually knew about how void worked.

"Now, if you'd mind ending your conversation, Mister Wand." Guiteau said, and he blinked, tapping his chin sheepishly as the man moved on, ignoring the giggles coming from some of the students. "Your very interesting conversation has brought up a point I've been meaning to introduce since we learned about the Pentagon last week. I know the syllabus says today is a review day, but looking around, I doubt many of you actually need the review. Instead, I'm going to discuss King Louis III."

"Why talk about a king from so long ago?" someone asked, before Frances spoke from his seat at the back of the room, a different question on his mind.

"If you're going to talk about void, isn't Adolphe de la Valliere better since he was the most recent?" he asked, before Guiteau shook his head.

"This is not just about void, Mister Engine." he stated, turning to the board and beginning to draw what seemed to be a family tree, albeit obviously rushed and simplified. "As we know, our current crown Queen and Princess are descended directly from Brimir through the de Tristain family tree. We will represent Brimir as a dot at the beginning, and Princess Henrietta at the end." The way the tree was shaped, it was clear that he was ignoring the cadet branch, as it ended with only Henrietta despite Louise and her sisters also being part of it. "Mister Wilson!"

David didn't register that his name had been called for several seconds, before to his surprise, he realized that the man had actually said his name correctly for once. "Yes, sir?" he asked, and the man smiled, pointing the chalk stick at him as if he was brandishing a wand.

"Mister Engine's statement reminded me of something. You are close friends with Princess Henrietta, are you not?"

The boy's eyes widened like a deer in headlights, and he didn't need to look around to know that suddenly the class was all whispering about him. It was one thing to know the princess when he was only actively talking to foreigners and Louise, but around so many strangers who were not connected to the throne?

"Um…" he said, trying to think of an excuse. "We're not close, I've just talked to her a few times."

Evidently that made it worse, because the class's talking grew louder, before he waved his hands in front of him, ignoring the surprised looks on his two friends' faces. "No, no, not anything like that! It's because Louise is part of the cadet branch, so she's had to meet her! I've just been in the room at the time before!"

He didn't like lying, but there was no Gandalfr rule about always telling the truth. At least the lie was mostly well-received and talk died down, though he could feel Frances' eyes boring into the back of his head.

The guy already didn't like him, but this probably made it worse.

"Well, in any case, being the familiar to Louise de la Valliere, I'm sure you at least are aware of how void is inherited?" Guiteau asked, as if his earlier statement hadn't caused an uproar, and seeing that as a more harmless question, David nodded. "Good. For those of you who do not know, void is inherited genetically, though there are exceptions to such a rule, such as if the void mage dies without children. In that case, another existing member of the family gains it...And that's where we go to King Louis III."

"Before him, the previous wielder was Francine de Grant, a member of a former cadet branch 1,000 years ago who went extinct when she died. Frances de Grant has since faded into obscurity except to historical researchers, but King Louis III has remained a very important figure. Mister Reinhardt, please state why."

"He almost got it…" Ludwig said to himself, standing up to answer. "He wielded the void to stop a famine, didn't he?" he asked. "Though the actual spell is unknown. He was considered one of the greatest void mages in history, not including Brimir of course."

David recognized the man's name from the conversation he had been in on the way to Albion, in the story about Adolphe de la Valliere, but he hadn't realized the king was one of the country's most prominent figures.

"That is both right and wrong. You get half credit." Guiteau said, and Ludwig blinked.

"That was graded?" he asked, sitting down, and the teacher nodded.

"As the valedictorian of the class, I grade you on every answer you give." he replied, before turning to the rest of the class. "It is indeed true that he stopped a famine, but a spell was not used to do so...Rather, he used his familiar, the then-Gandalfr, to force the land to grow crops again."

"What kind of familiar could be that powerful?!" Kelly asked, and the man grinned, pointing his chalk stick at David, who blinked and pointing a finger at himself.

"One tied to Brimir himself."


	105. Gandalfr de Milan

"Void mages, and by extension, their familiars, are considered lesser copies of Brimir. Their strength and skill are different based on the individual, as well as the nationality, but they all share certain traits in common. It was good timing that the current Gandalfr happened to join our class despite already having come of age, so this can be demonstrated firsthand. Mister Wilson, do you know the most major trait of the Gandalfr?"

David blinked, before cringing inwardly at the numerous eyes planted on him. Why was the teacher putting him in the spotlight like this? He'd thought he'd be able to get through the year without really being noticed, but evidently this man was either more cunning than he thought, or he was just as much a history nut as Colbert was obsessed with science.

"From what I've heard, all of them follow through with promises they make." he replied. "But I don't know enough to say if that's accurate or not, and it's probably more a coincidence than a trait…"

Guiteau grinned, shaking his head and turning to the board, drawing a dotted line from Henrietta's dot at the bottom horizontally to a new dot, and from that dot, another solid line horizontally. "Gandalfr is always connected to the royal family, and up until Louise de la Valliere, it was always held by either a member of the royal family, or a cousin or other close relative. Personality traits aside, the keeping of a promise is something that the entirety of our royal family share." Up higher on the tree, he drew another dotted line out, pointing at the space where the line ended. "This is roughly where the then-Prince Louis III would be, and his familiar, his sister's son George de Milan, is the Gandalfr this rant is leading to."

The blonde girl who had been in the demonstration the day before raised her hand. "Sir, what does this have to do with the famine? And what does this famine have to do with elementless magic?"

The man smiled, flapping his mantle in excitement. "All of this is connected, don't worry, Miss Huron!" he replied. "I said that Louis III was the important figure in this lecture, but I should amend myself and say that it is actually George who matters most...I stated earlier that Louis III had his familiar stop the famine. Can anyone venture a guess as to how he did so?"

Several guesses were called out from various students, ranging from totally ridiculous ideas to actually decent theories.

Ludwig and Kelly oddly were flipped from their personalities, as Kelly assumed that the man had possibly somehow flipped physics on its head to perform a task that no one could, while Ludwig assumed that he'd simply figured out how to control the weather by seeding the atmosphere with dust...a concept that most around them took as outlandish, but for the Earth-born David, the idea was very sensible...though perhaps not in a medieval setting like this world.

Frances, oddly, kept quiet, which was a surprise in itself considering how he'd made it clear he liked to act like he was on top, which made David assume that he simply had no possible clue how to answer and was rather trying to save face.

Guiteau was silent for several moments as he let the class shout their answers, before waving his hands out to either side to silence them. "All of your are thinking hard on your answers, that's good!" he replied. "Of course...the true answer is impossible to state, as it is a secret kept by the royal family...but we CAN discourage impossible rumors and narrow down the possible methods. Mister Wilson, while I correct these theories, please correct me as needed...you being from a technologically superior world means you can fact-check all of this, correct?"

Well, he was once again being stared at, but now it was for a reason he could be proud of, and he smiled, nodding at the man. "I'm not a meteorologist, but I can do my best!" he replied, and the man laughed.

"Now, then, we'll start with Miss Dulce's, as it was arguably the most outlandish one I could hear!" Ignoring the girl's embarrassment as she put her face in her hands, he continued. "Hers was the idea that somehow, George de Milan was able to upturn the earth and force the land to grow what didn't exist. Mister Wilson, is that possible in your world?"

"Um, well...no, but it might be possible with strong enough earth magic." he replied, and the teacher shook his head.

"No earth mage is able to grow food where there are no seeds. Life is something within the domain of nature, and not even the elves are able to manipulate organic matter to such a scale. It is also not possible for him to use earth magic, as he was a familiar tied directly to void. Moving on, Miss Huron's theory was more sensible, assuming that he went around helping to cultivate the ground where it was poor...But the issue with that is that at the time, Tristain was almost as large as current-day Romalia, meaning it would have taken months or even years to handle the situation."

Tristain used to be larger? What had happened within that millennium to make it so small now?

"Now, we'll go to Mister Ringo's assumption...seeding the atmosphere. Would you mind elaborating on what that means?"

"Famine is usually caused by drought or disease, so the idea is that George, rather than working on his own, rather commanded a large area of dirt to be case into the sky, whether by Louis III's Explosion spell or by a lot of earth mages working at once. In the air, the dirt would form nuclei and make clouds, and it would rain back down where the drought was happening."

The man blinked, evidently not aware of the process, and turned to David for confirmation. Ludwig grinned as the Gandalfr nodded.

"It checks out scientifically, though in my world there isn't currently technology able to do something at such a massive scale...I don't think it's possible even with all the earth mages in the world though. Clouds are gigantic, you'd need to send a small country's worth of dirt in the air, and most of it would just fall back down. Also the climate here is similar to my world's Europe, and the way air currents move, you'd be mostly getting sea breezes, so there's not much other than salt to form clouds from."

"...Is that a well-known thing in your world?" Ludwig asked, sitting down and staring at his friend, who shrugged.

"The fact that clouds come from dust and stuff on the ground is well-known, but the understanding of currents is a little less known unless you bother remembering anything from high-school environmental science." he replied.

The room was silent for several seconds, before Guiteau laughed, pointing at the boy in the usual over-the-top motion that quickly was becoming his signature. "Perhaps asking for individual theories is pointless. Knowing what you do, how do you think a famine can be ended?"

David thought over the question. How could it happen? He knew it was possible, there were numerous times in history when exactly that situation had played out...though usually, they were solved by a river naturally redirecting back to an old path and not by human interference.

Wait, water flow can still be considered, he just had to ask one thing to confirm his theory. "This famine...where were most of the crops grown?"

"On the Red River and its tributaries." the instructor replied, and David nodded. Good, that confirmed his suspicion then.

George de Milan hadn't used any special skill or unknown magic. He vaguely remembered Derf mentioning a Gandalfr in the past stopping a famine while they were in Gallia, it seemed that this was connected to that random comment.

"He asked for help from the water spirit in Lagdorian Lake." he replied, and the teacher blinked.

"The water spirit? And how do you believe he did so?" he asked.

"The water spirit has a special connection with Gandalfrs, so he probably asked it to help." he replied. "I don't know more than that though, so I can't say if that's fully accurate." Of course, the spirit always asked for a trade. What had George de Milan traded in return for the spirit's help?

"Well, it is said that Brimir was fond of Lagdorian Lake." the teacher said. "And at the time, it was fully encompassed by Tristain's borders rather than shared with Gallia as it is today. I should mention that next time it becomes important, that may be an answer that satisfies the problems with the current theories!"


	106. Frances' Chord

**Been slowing down on a lot of stories recently, I really need to get back on track. I'm just going to blame the cold for messing with my concentration!**

 **Since the series will be going on for so long, I feel that it'll quickly need more characters, so if you have an idea, send it in, on reviews or PMs! I may add them to the story somewhere!**

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"Of course, no theory can really be proven without all the details...Others that were logical also included crop rotation and newly-invented fertilizers, but they are as likely as asking for supernatural help from the water spirit. The true story can only be known by the heirs of the royal family." Guiteau stated, before clapping his hands together to continue.

He, along with the students at the front row nearest to him, froze as he realized he was still holding the chalk, and a cloud of dust got kicked off by his clapping, causing the students to start coughing as he blinked in surprise, before quickly waving his wand, performing a wind spell to collect the dust again as he continuously did, returning it to the stick and apologizing sheepishly before walking back to the board shamefully, setting the chalk down on the tray and turning around to face them.

"My apologies, I can be quite clumsy." he stated, and an almost-synchronized sound of 'We know' came from the entire first row, and he laughed hesitantly before continuing, clapping his hands together again, this time with no cloud of dust. "Now, then, I suppose this rant isn't going to go much further since we've discussed the main body of it already, so I'll let you go for self-study as this was supposed to be a review day anyway. We will begin Literature Class in an hour." With that, he swished his mantle, heading out of the door and leaving the students to their own devices.

Kelly sighed as she leaned over her desk, grumbling in irritation. "Why did he have to put me out there like that? I thought my idea made sense…"

David smiled, patting her back. "Hey, it made sense to me, though I didn't know it wasn't possible." he replied as Ludwig laughed.

"I thought my idea was pretty cool too, but yeah, I guess there's a lot of problems I didn't think of...Having someone who knows stuff a lot more advanced than we have really helps!"

David shrugged and looked at him, continuing to pat the distraught girl's back. "It's probably because you use magic rather than inventing technology. If you didn't have magic, then your world would be much more advanced than mine by now, since you've had 6,000 years of very slow technological change. As it is, your world's only like 4 centuries behind mine in terms of development...though there _are_ some oddly modern things here. Like pencils and paper, I expected more basic than you have here, but it's almost the same as my world."

"That's still a long time, I can't even imagine what your world's like. Most innovation in our world is done by earth mages, but since most of them are in construction or mining or other businesses like that, there's not much room for invention." He blinked, before his eyes lit up as he shifted in his chair. "Hey, what kind of stuff does your world have? I bet it's really cool!"

Kelly shot up at the statement, her aura of depression vanishing immediately. "Yeah, I heard a rumor from the second-years that people can fly without magic and walk on lava...is that true?"

He blinked, thinking it over to figure out what they were referring to, before smiling as he nodded. "Technically both are true, though not without assistance. Planes and jetpacks exist, though jetpacks are pretty much still just concepts since they're not safe. As for walking on lava...Nothing lets humans directly do that, but there's suits that let them stand at the edge and collect samples. We can't just create it like earth mages can, so it has to be collected to be studied."

"Earth mages can't create lava either." Ludwig said, tilting his head. "Lava's something that ignored magical properties, since it's so hot...though it's believed that a Pentagon-class earth spell might be able to do it. Nobody can do that yet though, not without fusion magic, and it's way too hard to fuse magic to bother researching that."

"I've heard of fusion magic before...isn't it something Albion was researching?" He blinked, before cringing as he realized he probably shouldn't have said that, but luckily, Ludwig just looked at him strangely before continuing on...It wasn't the first time he silently thanked the boy for having such a short attention span.

"What other cool stuff is in your world?" he asked, and David smiled, thinking over the question.

"Well, we have cameras, which can capture a picture of whatever's in front of them, and from them we got videos that can capture longer spans of time. I can't really think of an equivalent to help visualize it…"

"Image paper." came a voice, and the three turned to face the source, before Ludwig's eyes went wide as Frances walked to stand near them, as usual glaring directly at David. "My family have researched a way to capture the world on paper, and call the process 'paper imaging'. I know I probably seem out of character, but that is a subject I am quite interested in joining this conversation for, if you'll let me, Gandalfr."

David blinked, before smiling, nodding as Kelly shifted to let the boy sit in the empty seat to her other side. "So your world has some form of it already...that's a lot earlier than mine, we didn't develop any form of photography until the 1800s in my world."

"What year was it in your world when you were brought here?" Frances asked. "It's currently 6140 by the royal calendar system, though I assume you don't use the same one."

"It was 2016." David replied. "We start our calendar year at the supposed birth of an important religious figure. It's not really given the same meaning anymore, but that's the origin."

"Ours is based on the invention of the Summon Servant spell." Kelly said. "Though...it's not really well-known who the familiar was, just that it was Brimir who summoned them."

"Sasha." David stated. "Her name was Sasha...according to the books I found on Gandalfr."

"Did Louise get them for you?" Kelly asked, and he shook his head.

"I just found them on my own time. Mr. Colbert helped out though, he's good at finding information." Which reminded him, he needed to talk to the man about the gasoline he knew he was trying to synthesize...he'd probably be needing the Zero fighter eventually, it would be a good idea to start planning for that.

"He's the second-year literature and science teacher, isn't he?" Ludwig asked. "I've heard he has some awesome fire magic that's really rare."

David shrugged at the statement. "He has blue fire, but he doesn't often use it. It's not like him having special magic makes a difference since he's too pacifistic to use it."

"'Special' magic isn't that rare." Frances stated. "And unique uses for already-established spells are always being created. Paper imaging consists of using fire magic to burn a reflected image to a block of wood after all. Is that how your 'cameras' work?"

"I don't really know the exact process behind digital cameras, but the older ones that use film do have something similar, though they use strips of film rather than wood. Those are older models though, they're not great for taking pictures anymore. Nowadays, most people use digital stuff using shutters. I'd show you an example, but my phone's long dead so unless you can use lightning magic to charge it, I can't do much with it."

"...You have taken one of these cameras with you here?" the boy asked, and as he blinked, his usual demeanor completely vanished, replaced by one of fascination. "How large is it? Our models have been shrunken down to room-sized, but if they're made smaller, the image becomes fuzzy...I can't imagine how your world managed to make them small enough to carry around."

From his description, this world must still be using camera obscura and pinhole lens techniques...No doubt the boy would be surprised to realize the truth about how advanced Earth technology had gotten as David raised his hands to show the rough size of the phone. "My phone's about this big, but the camera's only a little bigger than my fingernail. Smartphones can do a whole lot more than just take pictures."

The boy blinked for several seconds, before frowning. "I...don't believe you." he stated flatly. "There's no way an image can be that small and still look like anything recognizable."

David grinned. "It's more than just recognizable, cameras that size are the most high-definition ones in existence currently, other than nanosecond cameras that are mostly used for scientific research. Room-sized tech hasn't been needed for civilian use in decades."

"...Your world is amazing." Frances said honestly, though he still didn't seem to fully believe him, before he shook his head and stood up. "Well, it seems that I only have more reason to be competitive toward you...My family must invent this 'digital camera' and make it even smaller than yours!"

David laughed as the boy's arrogance seemed to return to normal, the boy standing to return to his seat. "It's not like I created it, I'm just a student!" he stated, though Frances ignored him as the other two watched.

"...Frances never talks to anyone outside of just telling them why they're wrong." Kelly said, looking at the Gandalfr. "Looks like you managed to hit a chord in him...congrats, I guess?"

David grinned at the statement. "I'm a guitarist...hitting chords is my passion. It's my belief that no one who is portrayed as arrogant and aloof is actually that way...Everyone like that has a reason to be. Guiche in second-year has to keep his reputation since he's the son of an important general, and Louise has her own family situation to worry about. I bet Frances is similar...or he's just a dick. One of the two."

"In any case, he seems to consider you a rival...maybe you can get him to stop being so rude to everyone else!" Ludwig said, laughing. "It would be nice to go a day without him complaining about us being idiots."


	107. I Don't Have a Chapter Title

**I don't usually get political on my chapters...but screw it. Net neutrality is important and it'll hurt all of us equally if it's repealed, so go to battleforthenet . com to help fight against the repeal!**

 **Now, back to the (poorly) scheduled chapter!**

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As he played Oracion for Louise as he'd done frequently before he left for Gallia, David thought over the few days he'd been at class now. It wasn't as hard to catch up as he'd thought it would be, and he'd even gotten an above average score on the test following the review day, after cramming information from the latter parts of his still-piling homework the day before the test.

Now, there was supposedly going to be a practical exam, though what that entailed he didn't know, and considering that he'd been told so from Ludwig, it was debatable whether the information was accurate or not. Still, as it was he was doing a poor job of staying on top of spellcasting...He knew the theory and was slowly getting the hang of runes, but he was still rock bottom in terms of casting. Unlock was the only thing he could properly do, and anything else simply didn't work...and after the first time she'd been discovered, Casper hadn't so much as said a word to him, much less helped out with the issue.

He wondered where the 'ghost' had gone. What was she doing now, and how was her original body faring wherever she was? He knew she wasn't dead, he could sometimes feel her presence in his head every so often, but if he called to her she just vanished again.

Perhaps Guiteau had spooked her. She was a Square-class mage like Tabitha, and she'd likely not expected that anyone could figure out she was around, but Guiteau was the same level and affinity as her and had caught her immediately...She must have been afraid that he'd start asking questions if he found her buzzing around the boy again.

He wanted to assure her that it wouldn't happen, but he was as worried about the situation himself as she was. While no one was actively doing much about potential spies in the academy after Count Thrak's message revealing that New Divide existed, he knew that a suspicious figure like a hidden wind clone guarding some guy would not be a good sign if either of them were to do anything even slightly suspicious around the teacher.

Casper knew what she was doing. He had to remind himself that she had lived in this world her whole life and knew how it worked. He was just a visitor, no matter how integrated he was becoming. If she had to cut off communication and hide to prevent him being revealed as New Divide, then so be it. He trusted her judgement, so he'd let her do as she saw fit.

"David? Are you there?" Louise asked, rolling on her bed to rest her weight on her elbows and stare at him, and he blinked, his hands briefly jittering on the guitar strings as he brought himself to attention, blinking at the worried expression on her face.

He smiled and shook his head, going back to playing normally, but talking over the sound this time. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking about stuff relating to New Divide...there's some issues going on that I need to fix, but it's nothing you need to worry about."

"It's nothing that will hurt you, is it?" she asked, and he laughed at the question.

"Nah, nothing like that...I don't even need to worry Henrietta with it, New Divide will handle things for us."

"...I still want to know what he looks like. You know, don't you? You're aware of who he really is, but you've only told Henrietta…"

He blinked. "Did...Henrietta tell you that she knew?" he asked. When had that happened? He'd said he was fine with Henrietta bringing in new people, but telling Louise that detail...she was too unstable to let her know everything yet.

He winced as his runes glowed, once again sending a bolt of pain through his skull at the disobedient thought, and the girl's eyes widened briefly, before she forced her expression to return to normal.

"You don't have to tell me. Secrets are important, everyone has them…" she said, and to his surprise, the pain faded almost immediately.

Had she...found out about the disobedience issue? He couldn't think of who'd told her, only Tabitha and Kirche were aware that he had the condition after all...but then again, maybe she'd heard from Agnes. The Chevalier had been in disguise as their carriage operator on the trip to the water spirit after all, and she wasn't as easy to keep tight-lipped as Henrietta.

"You don't need to be so cautious around me." he told her, and she blinked, tilting her head. "I can tell you've been careful about your wording since we went to Albion. It's not really like you to be doing that."

She smiled sadly, rolling back on her back to stare at the ceiling. "It's not that I'm doing it because I've changed. It's just...I don't remember anything from then, but the princess told me that something traumatic happened to you...I don't know what it is, but she wanted me to hold my tongue around you, at least a little bit...You need to learn to control your runes before I can start ordering you around, otherwise you'll just self-destruct...at least, that's what Mrs. Chevreuse told us about familiars in class when we came back...I never knew that familiar runes have psychological effects as well as physical ones, so...sorry for being ignorant about it. I bet it hurt you whenever I made you do something you didn't want to."

He stared at her in confusion, before chuckling at the admission. "You've barely ordered me to do anything. Yeah, my runes sometimes hurt, but it's usually of my own accord. You not being as harsh as I expected actually really helps. They don't burn or anything when you don't order anything, and suggestions don't count to them. It's kind of like...Guiteau mentioned that magic works with a fixed amount of willpower, from which some is taken with each cast spell. The runes are similar, they take a little willpower any time I disobey you...willingly or not."

"That's why I've been so guarded around you lately...I have no idea what happened during the negotiations, and the hole in my memory bothers me. I don't know what could have caused you to fall so much that your runes started to react, but I don't want to hurt you any more than necessary. I've told you before, back when we went to Tristania, that I care about you, and that hasn't changed. You've helped me to become a lot more confident in myself, and the other students stopped calling me Zero even though my elemental magic is still terrible. The least I can do is to let you live somewhat peacefully." She sighed, shaking her head and holding a hand up flat, parallel to the ceiling as she stared through her fingers. "...The world's changing, isn't it?" she suddenly asked, changing the subject. "It's hard to tell if you're not paying attention, but everyone's been so on edge recently...I think we can all sense that something major's about to happen."

She turned her head to face him, a frown stuck to her face. "It has to do with whatever happened in Albion, doesn't it? Something really big happened, but I wasn't awake to notice it...I don't remember anything past the _Eagle_ , and next thing I knew we were back on the ship...But you remember everything, don't you? You've been the most nervous of everyone, and more so than usual. New Divide doesn't know how to plan for whatever happened, doesn't he?"

He blinked, before laughing hesitantly. "One man can't plan for every little event. But yeah, something major did happen back then...Let's just say that Reconquista's motivation has been renewed, so I don't think the war's going to stay in Albion anymore."

"It hasn't been announced, but I overheard some of the teachers talking about Albion's royal family going missing...Is that related to it somehow?"

He nodded. "James and Wales Tudor aren't in Albion anymore. I'm...not actually sure where they are now. Wherever it is, they're under Tristain's protection. Reconquista got control of Albion, but at least they're both still alive." Which was as good for Henrietta personally as it was for Albion's future as a whole. He didn't want to leave unclosed loops when it was time to go.

"So I guessed right...I thought it was weird to have the situation go south but not have an announcement. King Henri probably doesn't want to worry anyone by making anything official."

The boy internally winced at the statement, before the two's attention were taken by the door to the room bursting open, revealing a very annoyed Siesta closely followed by an excitable Guiche, who jumped in his place with a large grin on his face.

" **David-san, please help me get rid of this idiot**!" Siesta complained, speaking in her native Japanese despite not really having a reason to...it was just fun to see Louise confused on her words, though her tone made it obvious what she was complaining about.

"Ah, David, Louise, you are both here!" Guiche stated in his usual over the top accent, walking in without waiting for an invitation and pushing past Siesta. "Why did you not tell me you are capable of casting magic now?!" he asked, standing in front of the boy, who still had his guitar in hand though he hadn't been playing anything.

David sweatdropped at the enthusiastic earth mage. "I wouldn't exactly call it casting magic, I can only do one spell. Unlock isn't exactly the most powerful of abilities."

"Ah, but it is versatile! It is quite useful in almost any situation if you're creative enough! Locked doors, moving soil, removing girl's-Gahh!"

The boy collapsed to the ground, unable to finish his sentence as he was knocked out cold by a surprisingly swift open-handed blow to the back of his head, courtesy of the maid standing behind him.

"I hope you don't report me for that." she said, smiling in a very much not-innocent way as she clasped her hands together in front of her outfit.

"We won't." the two residents of the room stated simultaneously. Guiche needed to be stopped for once after all.


	108. David-sensei

**The last "chapter 108" was a lie, please ignore that email and stop reviewing and messaging me about it. I accidentally uploaded to the wrong story. Here is the real one!**

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"Why did he even come here?" Louise asked as David sat the now-unconscious earth mage on the couch, the Gandalfr now standing next to Siesta, who simply shrugged.

"He started following me when he realized I was heading here. I don't like him, he wouldn't be so bad if he ever shut up, but he talked the entire way here!"

"That...pretty much sums up Guiche." David said, sighing. "So why are you here then, Sasaki-chan?"

"Oh, right!" She smiled, standing to face Louise. "Osmond wanted you to see him, without David. Since he's a student now, he can't be around when you have meetings for school stuff apparently."

Louise blinked, before David sighed, scratching his head. "Guess that's the rules. I'm still your familiar, but I'm also technically a mage since I can use one spell. I don't know if that makes me a noble or not, but at least when it comes to the school, we're on even grounds...Think you can handle yourself without me there?" He grinned as the pinkette puffed her cheeks up at the statement.

"I've handled myself without you up to this year, and you've been away from me more often recently than usual. I can handle a simple meeting, even if it's with that old pervert."

She huffed out of the door, leaving the two with the sleeping Guiche, and David sighed, scratching his head. "She's pretty bipolar, isn't she?" he asked, and Siesta giggled.

"I think she's just jealous. You're so independent, it's like she doesn't have a familiar at all. Familiars are supposed to be servants, yet you're out there learning the same stuff she did. She can't get the kind of master-pet bond that other mages have...not that that's a bad thing. After all, I know I'd rather have a cute boy like you under my wing than a big lizard or mole thing."

He blinked, before laughing nervously at the slightly devious tone she'd taken on. "Please don't talk like that, you sound like Kirche…" Well, Kirche pre-Gallia. Now, he could honestly call her a friend, though he didn't see her very often now that he was busy with his own classes.

The maid blinked, before her tone switched back to normal as she smiled. "I wonder if she thinks someone else will get to you before she can. She really cares about you, you know...to the point of obsession at times."

David sweatdropped at the statement. "Yeah, I know. She's told me several times. I understand though, I've been trying my best to be an emotional pillar for everyone, but with her…" He frowned. He didn't do it intentionally, but now that he thought about it, it really felt like he avoided the girl, and Siesta picked up on his doubts.

"You have your hands full." she stated. "You're trying to help everyone all at once, it's making you unable to help any of them."

He blinked at her statement, and was about to question her when Guiche groaned, sitting up and holding the back of his head, blinking back sleep as he looked around.

"Oh...David?" he asked, before grinning. "And that maid...you've got a really good open palm strike...who trained you?"

She blinked. "Woman's instinct." she replied, crossing her arms. "Why are you here anyway?"

Guiche smiled, before his eye widened, and he quickly pulled out his rose wand. "Valkyrie!" he called waving the wand...before blinking as nothing happened. "Er...Valkyrie! Why isn't it working?"

"...I don't know why you're trying to pick a fight here of all places, but you _are_ aware that this is over 10 floors above the ground, right?" David asked. "There's no earth here for you to conjure…"

The boy blinked, before slapping the side of his head. "Ah! I have forgotten the greatest downside of my magic!" he said, before shaking his hands in front of him defensively. "I was not trying to attack you, I simply wanted to ask something of you…"

David raised an eyebrow in annoyance, and the boy gulped nervously. "What requires you attempting to mess up the room?" he asked, and Guiche shook his head rapidly...why was he so nervous anyway? It was totally unlike him to be like that.

The blond stood up straight, though he didn't come up quite to David's eye level, and posed in what seemed to be some sort of military attention. "I want you to train me in swordfighting!"

"..." David stared as Guiche actually raised his hand to salute him, a bizarre break in character for the boy, even after he'd declared himself David's rival. "WhY? And please don't salute me, that's just kind of weird…"

Guiche quickly lowered his hand, relaxing his pose. "Sorry, it was instinctive...my dad's really strict on proper posture when talking about training, so I kind of did it without realizing."

"Your dad's a general, isn't he? Why would you need to learn swordfighting from me?"

Guiche frowned, before sighing, returning his wand to his pocket, having forgotten he'd taken it out until now. "You're the Gandalfr, and your sword can talk too, so-"

"No, I mean, why do you want to learn to use a sword? You have your magic to advance first." David interrupted, and the boy blinked.

"Our duels have shown me that my magic's not enough to win a fight, so I want to learn swordfighting as well so I can keep up if my valkyries are defeated. Is that weird of me?"

Well, it was a surprise, but it was nice to see the boy taking his losses seriously, so David smiled. "I'm not really a very good teacher, but I guess I can't reject you if you come specifically to me...isn't it kind of weird to have a familiar as an instructor though?"

Guiche laughed in his usual manner, stepping back purely for the purpose of posing...though his words made the pose seem superficial and pointless. "As you are a student and my rival, you are my equal...therefore I must become superior to you!"

A roundabout way of saying things, but he couldn't fault him...that was just Guiche's way of doing things after all. "Well, then I'll have to get better at using magic so I can beat you without even drawing Derf! I can't hardly just stay at my current level now that I'm aware I'm able to use magic, right? I'll just have to work harder than everyone else to catch up!"

Guiche laughed, pointing a finger at the ceiling. "We will both rise together, as rivals!" he stated, before Siesta cleared her throat, reminding the two that she was still there.

"I suppose I'm not needed here, then." she said, smiling. "I just came to deliver that message to Louise, and it seems you'll be busy now...Can I be dismissed? Since I am now owned specifically by Louise, I can't really leave without some kind of permission…" Her eyebrow twitched at the statement, but David ignored it.

"Oh, right, I didn't know that...you're still just like you've always been, I didn't even know you were actually doing anything for her specifically." David said, before nodding. "Go ahead if you want to leave...I'm guessing you wouldn't want to join us."

"Swords aren't my thing, and besides, as a maid I'm not allowed to undergo any weapons training. Academy rules...it's stretching it a bit to even allow noble students to do so."


	109. True Rivals

**Sorry for the lack of chapters, I've been busy IRL and our wifi actually stopped working so I'm depending on a mobile hotspot. Hopefully the issue is resolved soon!**

 **Since I've been backed up, I haven't really been able to plan for the anniversary of this story coming in 2 days. What do you all think I should do? I'd like to hear your ideas!**

* * *

It was becoming increasingly normal to appear at the training grounds nowadays, but it was odd to have Guiche beside him, a fact that Derf pointed out from its sheath as David stood in front of the boy.

"So, what was the valkyrie thing about? If you want to practice using a sword, you shouldn't try using magic at the same time. It'll make you tired."

"I have a specific sword I've been storing underground to keep it safe. My valkyries guard it and take it up when I want it." the boy explained, and David tilted his head curiously as the boy raised his rose, chanting to activate the spell, and the ground shook as a single one of his bronze soldiers appeared, holding a...very familiar sword.

"Wait, is that…" he asked, and Guiche grinned as he took the handle of the sword in one hand, lifting it as the valkyrie collapsed to the ground, its purpose spent as he tested the weight of the sword.

It had a green hilt, shaped like talons and implanted with a faded red gemstone, and the handle was wrapped in the same faded brown cloth that it had the first time he'd seen it, albeit a little dirtier than before. Guiche grinned as he held it up, letting the long blade glint in the sunlight. "You recognize it?" he asked, smiling as he took a stance...one that was poor even to David's still-untrained eyes.

"Yeah, that's the one you summoned when we first duelled, right? I'd have thought you'd return it to the earth by now."

"I decided to keep it instead! It is a memento of the man who defeated me after all...I'd like to wield it against you if that is alright."

David blinked, before smiling, pulling Derf out of its sheath to smother whatever comment the intelligent sword was about to make, his left hand glowing as the runes activated, though this was just a training exercise. He wasn't entirely sure how to teach the boy, but he'd probably figure things out as they went along. "Okay, go ahead and try to hit me."

Guiche blinked, before nodding, shouting as he ran forward, pointing the sword forward in a lunge, which David easily parried with a one-handed sideways strike, without even enough force to produce the loud metallic scraping sounds typical of swordfighting...even without Gandalfr, it was an obvious move and easy to block as he stepped to the side, letting the blond's momentum carry him forward.

Guiche just barely caught his balance, planting a foot in the ground and spinning around in an effort to catch the boy off-guard.

David was already prepared, holding Derf's handle in both hands to catch the sword on its blade, and both rivals grinned as they pushed against each other's attack.

"That's a longsword, blocking attacks like this aren't a good idea." David said, thinking over what he did know from his research on the different types of swords...both from Earth and since coming here. "Derf's a falchion, they're designed for hacking, plus he's made specially. If you keep blocking like this, your sword's going to snap."

The two jumped back, Guiche regaining his posture and holding his sword up, laughing excitedly as he stood. "You certainly are knowledgeable, it was a good decision making you my rival...I confess, I have a little training in the use of swords, though I'm better at shortswords than this type. Still, it is useful to expand your horizons, right?"

David smiled, nodding at the question. "Yeah. I used Derf for every fight I've been in, but now that I know I have magic, I need to start learning that...By the way, how good are you at elementless spells?"

Guiche shrugged, talking as the two continued to clash, and oddly, his motions seemed to get better as the fight went on...evidently, he just wasn't used to the length of his blade. "I'm pretty average at magic other than earth, I'm not a prodigy like Louise or Tabitha. Still...I'm among the highest-ranking Dot mages in this year, so my magic can't be underestimated!"

"Really?" David asked, jumping back to perform a side-swipe, which Guiche blocked by slicing downward. "Your magic didn't do very well going against me. I beat you twice and only took a couple hits the first time."

"You are simply too effective with your runes for me to handle you! And besides, you have pointed out the weakness in my magic, and I've been learning how to get past that. I'm not just going to ignore a chance to develop my skill after all!"

"You want to be the best mage in the country, right?" he asked, before Guiche shook his head, grinning as they continued to fight, though by now, both were getting tired, Guiche at a much quicker rate than the Gandalfr.

"I don't care if I'm the greatest or if my father accepts how I am. I just want to be popular!"

"As good a reason as any, I suppose!" David replied, laughing. "Then let's both work for our respective dreams!"

It was oddly easy to be happy around Guiche, despite the usual arrogance the boy displayed. But here, in the middle of a spar, that arrogance was all but gone...it was as if the act of holding a sword changed Guiche as much as it did David. Both were more confident like this than they were otherwise. As odd as it was to admit it, the two were more similar than he thought at first glance.

True rivals indeed. Perhaps Guiche was right, as bizarre as his way of thinking was.

The two sparred for hours, not paying attention to the darkening sky or the maid watching them from a balcony, and only stopped when both were too tired to continue anymore, laying sprawled out on the grass, their respective swords lying near them.

"That was...fun." David said, through pants, and Guiche laughed, raising a fist into the air, where the sun had now vanished, replaced by the light of the stars and the twin moons.

"I don't think I've ever fought for that long." his rival said, turning his head to face the Gandalfr. "And I managed to exhaust you...Can I count that as a win?"

"Nope, because you were exhausted long before me!" David replied, laughing at the blond's frown. "Still, for someone who isn't used to swordfighting, you did pretty well. Your form's crap, but then again, all I know is from Gandalfr and watching people like Agnes fighting."

He blinked at the statement. Had he ever actually seen the real Agnes fight, as opposed to the animated one? He couldn't remember her going farther than drawing her sword since he'd come here, though surely she'd fought _someone_ since then.

Come to think of it, never seeing her fight was more a good thing than bad. He had a feeling she was terrifying in battle, if her demeanor when guarding someone was anything to go by. He wondered briefly if she'd ever had a long fight, sparring or not, before his attention was caught by Guiche speaking again.

"To tell you the truth, I like fighting." the boy stated, and David turned his head to look at him. "I know it probably sounds weird, but I really don't care about my image that much. I just do that to keep my reputation with my father...I would much rather be a foot soldier than a noble, but since he's an important Triangle-class mage, I have to follow what he wants…Does that seem weird to you?"

Davod blinked at the sudden admission, before smiling, shifting to sit cross-legged facing the boy lying on the ground. "It seems to me that nobody in this school is really as they seem. I don't know if it's a good thing or bad, but every student seems to just put up a facade of themselves for everyone else. It takes a lot of effort to figure out what's real and what isn't...Sometimes it really seems like the adults are the ones who are honest with themselves, doesn't it?"

Guiche grinned tiredly, waving a hand and looking straight up at the blue moon. "Then you must be an adult." he stated simply, and David blinked curiously. "I know you probably have some massive secret you're hiding, just like everyone else here, but you don't hold anything back either. I mean, you came from a whole other world that we can barely imagine. You've seen and done things that are normal to you but miraculous to us. If I were in that position, I'd probably be gloating to everyone or even trying to take over the world. But you...You saw me being a jerk and immediately decided to go on the offensive...Instead of taking over, you picked up a sword and said 'Let's fight!'. It's hard to be modest in a world where having magic gives you special rights, especially when your world has no such issues, yet when you came here, even without knowing you had the ability, you still decided to just completely ignore that new divide."

The irony of his words wasn't lost on David, and while he was a little wrong in why he'd first decided to fight the noble, the general idea was...oddly well-constructed. How long had Guiche been dwelling on that first duel to have come to such conclusions?

Well, no sense being concerned. This was a rare time when Guiche was being honest with himself, and it was something David very much liked to see. Even if the people here weren't perfect, when they were true to themselves, he almost always preferred that over their social appearances. Guiche's conceptions were biased by his evident desire to match David, but what he said still held true...even though David himself never even thought twice about his own motivations.

Perhaps Louise was right. Maybe he _could_ be a selfish hero. He grinned at the thought, before laughing.

"Let's both get stronger together, Guiche."


	110. Happy Anniversary!

**As of today, it's been a year since the first chapter of this story was posted! It's not the first time a story has made it this long, but it's the first time I've had so many people reading and reviewing to anything I've done! It isn't even close to being over, here's hoping for another year!**

 **Last chapter, I asked readers what they wanted to see for this...I only got a couple of reviews, but I've put together what I think is a decent enough combination of them!**

 **As with the Derf chapter a while back, this is strictly noncanon, and not intended to take place before or after any specific events. Have fun!**

* * *

Colbert's lab had some weird things in it, but none were as unexpected as what could only be explained as a Bag of Holding from D&D, crammed into a drawer. That in itself was nothing unusual, spatial magic seemed to be moderately common for storing things, but what was inside truly surprised him.

A massive stash of plastic water guns of various shapes and sizes, all very clearly from Earth as he picked one up and looked at the "Made in China" writing that was on any plastics. Some were partially filled with water already, others were completely empty. Why these were here, he didn't know...but now that the weather was getting warmer as summer approached, it was a good time to find these. Whatever Colbert was doing with them, this could help him as well by showing what they were for.

He doubted the instructor would mind him taking them, seeing as the boy actually knew what they were for, so he just grabbed the bag and took it out of the lab, heading to the central tower of the academy, where the principal's office was located.

Naturally, his idea was well-received with the old pervert, especially after he mentioned how water flattens out clothing, and within a day, an announcement had been made over the "Tristain Magic Academy First Annual Water War!"

Why it was annual, he didn't know, but the event was quickly made popular, and by the time the date had come, half the school was attending, save for those who chose to stay out of the battle, either because they had to study or simply weren't interested.

The students taking part had split into two teams, consisting of boys vs. girls, as David pretty much expected. While he wasn't taking part, he still watched from the balcony of Louise's room as Colbert and Guiche passed around the water guns, some of which were earth magic copies created by the arrogant boy, who oddly enough had also chosen not to join in despite the likelihood of seeing the girls getting wet, and even as it was, many people from both sides had chosen to wear more revealing clothing already, apparently knowing fully well how the day would go.

There was a large pool in the ground between the two sides, prepared for refilling when their guns ran out. Naturally, no magic was allowed, as some people had water magic while others did not.

It was clear looking between the groups that some were planning to settle rivalries, with Louise in her full uniform and holding the gun as if it was going to shoot a real bullet, though others seemed to be just ready to have fun, like Kirche, who as expected was wearing next to nothing but what seemed to be a thin white set of underwear, and held hers as if she'd never touched a gun before. She likely wasn't really planning on winning, though from the other side, several boys were already aiming their sights at her...Why, David couldn't guess, since she was already practically naked.

Montmorency seemed exceedingly annoyed that Guiche wouldn't be participating, her expression the same murderous gaze that Louise gave everyone.

The boys were somewhat less diverse, mostly after the usual goals that the boy side had in animes where this type of situation happened, and Colbert had only just announced the start when both sides immediately started firing.

No one here had ever faced a large battle, but the way it went at the start was exactly as one probably was like. Still, it wasn't violent despite it, even as Louise found herself totally soaked in seconds, shedding her now-heavy cloak, and Montmorency scored several strikes on the boys.

Somehow, even as the fight dragged into an hour, Kirche managed to not get a single drop of water on her despite all but throwing herself in the way of pretty much anyone from any side.

Just above two hours into the fight, Tabitha walked out of the tower her dorm was located in, book in hand as usual as she'd decided not to join in...and was immediately sprayed by a stray stream of water, after which the entire group simultaneously froze in anticipation at her reaction.

"..." She said nothing, and after a few seconds, she walked back inside, the entire group now levelled to the ground after the blast of water conjured from her staff.


	111. Guiteau's Tournament

David blinked away sleep as he sat in his usual seat, watching the door to the classroom. Guiteau was late, and the class were just chatting amongst themselves as they waited.

"Were you up too late catching up again?" Ludwig asked, patting the Gandalfr's back as he shrugged.

"No, I was sparring with a second-year friend of mine, and when Gandalfr goes dormant again, you kind of get all the fatigue all at once...It's exhausting."

Ludwig was about to respond when the door burst open, Guiteau strolling in in his usual dramatic fashion, mantle flapping behind him with a breeze that was clearly just being generated by his own wind magic. Completely unnecessary, but he did it anyway.

"Now, then, it seems everyone's excited." the man stated, standing still as the class quieted down to listen to him. "Well, it's a good time to be happy...there's going to be a special event starting today!"

David looked up, now at attention. An event? What was happening?

"As we've begun learning elementless spells, I want to gauge each of your abilities in combat. Therefore, for the next week, we will be having a tournament-style competition!"

...That was either the best or worst idea David had heard. Yeah, let a bunch of pubescent teenagers fight each other, that was going to end well. Hopefully the guy was good at setting rules as well.

Frances raised his hand, and the teacher pointed to him to acknowledge his presence, and he lowered his hand, standing to speak.

"Is this fair for those without magic?" he asked, fairly obviously glancing at David before looking at the instructor again. "It seems to give a major advantage to those who wield elemental magic already."

Guiteau nodded at the statement, crossing his arms in thought. "That is right, and in years past, some have tried to abuse such a difference...However, it will balance out. Students with weak magic are allowed to take a weapon with them, while those with more powerful abilities will only be using their preferred spells. In that way, it handicaps those who may simply try to dominate the competition, and give a chance to those who have not caught up yet. Does that alleviate your concerns, Mister Erubetie?"

"Erikson, and yes." the boy stated. "Fairness is important to learn...and many people here are very far behind."

So, that was his angle...David had almost thought for a second that he actually was worried about the majority of the class. Evidently not.

"Now, now, no need to be rude." Guiteau said, waving his arms to the sides. "Everyone in this class has the capacity to become powerful mages. It's not the magic that you wield, though of course, wind is the best, but how you use it. If you're clever, even a basic spell can be your greatest weapon. After all, Fouquet of the Crumbling Earth was defeated by a student wielding no magic at all...all of you can do the same if you're smart!"

Well, at least he hadn't said by name who beat the criminal. He did not need Frances' eyes boring into his head any more than already happened.

The hairs prickling on his neck told him that that hope was misplaced. Frances already suspected him, apparently. He was right, but what possible reason could there be for him caring? He was leaps and bounds ahead of the Gandalfr in terms of magic, why focus so much on him?

The boy was an enigma, especially after he'd done a complete 180 in personality during his discussion on photography. Maybe he was thinking too much into it, but Frances wasn't as clear-cut as Guiche was despite his initial assumption that they were similar.

...For that matter, why did he care? Let the guy hate him, he didn't need everyone to be his friend. His situation was complicated enough as it was, but normal people also had friends and enemies, so why should he want to understand the weird boy? Let him have his prejudices.

With that, he turned his attention back to Guiteau, who was drawing a clade diagram on the board to show the tournament structure...36 students in the class. Not an even number for designing a bracket-style tournament, then.

"For the first two rounds, plus a preliminary to even out the set, you'll participate in two-person teams of my choosing. Once only four teams remain, the tournament will shift to a single elimination round with single competitors. So, it's good to know your partner, both to work with and against them!"

As he spoke about the rules and regulations of the tournament, he filled out the bracket with the names of the class members.

Kelly had been paired with Frances, and neither seemed particularly happy with the situation. Ludwig was paired with someone named Katrina, and David was with Katie. So that was Huron's first name. He hadn't known until now. She seemed reasonable, he could work with having her as a partner.

Other people had varying degrees of interest, from excitement to disgust, at their teammates. It would be interesting, to say the least...Especially since his team and Frances' were on opposing sides. If they won all their fights, they'd meet in the finals.

He didn't know why, but that excited him to think about. Frances seemed to consider him a rival, and over time he'd noticed his own competitive streak...He'd beaten Guiche, so he'd do the same with this guy...even if he had mastered two elements, according to Ludwig.

He knew very little about either Kelly or Ludwig's magic, but apparently Ludwig was the valedictorian of the class, scoring even higher than Ludwig, so he was not to be underestimated, and David knew he wouldn't hold back in a fight, other than what he was required to in the rules. Katrina was an unknown, but he had a feeling that if Guiteau felt she should be paired with Ludwig, she was probably pretty good too.

He'd have to talk to Katie and plan things out later. Their first fight, after two preliminary fights between four groups he didn't know to get an even 16 teams, would be with Rebecca de la Yura and Alphonse de Minde, who both appeared pretty happy with the decision as they high-fived each other from the left middle row. Already friends, then, which meant they knew each other's magic. Hopefully Katie did as well, as from how she looked at him from her spot, she seemed to already have a plan in mind. He knew she was a fairly average student, having failed to complete the rope untying activity, but he doubted she was weak. If anything, he was the weakest link, though he did get the bonus of being allowed a weapon.

Still, the idea of a tournament seemed fun. It was getting close to summer break now, he assumed this was some form of midterm exam to show off the skills everyone had learned.

He doubted winning was necessary, but likely there'd be some sort of incentive, even if it hadn't been announced yet, and though he didn't particularly care other than going up against Frances, he figured Katie would be more into it. He'd do his best to help her through, then.

It was a chance to show off Gandalfr and practice with Unlock, at least, even though he still couldn't even use any other basic spells. They didn't just backfire, they simply wouldn't work. It was weird, but it was out of his control, so he would just have to do what he could with his current skills.


	112. The First Round

**I'd say "Merry Christmas!", but as Halkeginia does not celebrate it, I will instead simply say happy birthday to Lala from Monster Musume!**

* * *

The first day consisted mostly of Guiteau mostly explaining the rules of the tournament, discussing the bracket and giving his reasoning for each team, and setting limits and handicaps where necessary.

Frances could only use fire magic, evidently his best skill. Ludwig couldn't use any runic magic, meaning he was limited to phrase-based spells, a limitation that was oddly severe, but David didn't question it as he had never actually seen what Ludwig was capable of. Besides...he was the valedictorian even over Frances, so he probably had some skill up his sleeve despite how he made it clear that he did not know two elements like the other boy.

Kelly had no restrictions, being a very average student, and Katie was given a boost in that she was allowed to use any spell in her arsenal. David himself was sadly not allowed Derf, but it was a completely legitimate concern owing to his Gandalfr, so he'd have to settle with a knife instead. He was still allowed his wand, though it wasn't like his magic would be of any use considering he could only use Unlock, a spell that Katie had covered already along with several others.

Still, a knife was fine. As long as it reacted to Gandalfr he shouldn't have too much trouble aside from what's expected from a competition. Besides, it was his brand of magic, technically. A competition to show off skills applied to Gandalfr as well, so he'd have to show his mastery with a weapon he wasn't used to using.

A few other students had buffs and nerfs to their abilities, but for today, there'd only be two fights, and considering the amount of time they had left, he doubted they'd be long.

He blinked as he realized the oddest thing about the bracket. Not the pairings, or the explanations, or the limits and handicaps...it was simply that Guiteau was pronouncing everyone's names correctly and writing them as such.

So it was just an act to annoy people. He should have expected that, yet it was a surprise to him that the quirky teacher was making up a large part of his noticeable personality.

"Alright, then. Everyone, please stand up and leave the room in an orderly fashion. We will be heading to Training Ground A to handle the first battle."

As the class filed outward, David sandwiched between Kelly and Ludwig, he pondered the fight. He doubted it would be a full fight when it was just going to help even out teams, so what could it be?

Guiteau coolly lifting a box hidden behind his podium didn't really help matters as they walked, the man hiding the box inside his robes as most students simply walked past him without looking twice, though he noticed Kelly, who was in front of him, tilting her head to the side to peek, and behind him, Frances did the same...as expected, the boy noticed.

There wasn't a chance to comment on it before they were already at the field, the same one he usually used for training with Derf, the slashes from the sword still obvious on the straw dummies, though he hadn't managed to completely destroy any of them yet, and with a simple lift of his wand, Guiteau repaired them, the tears repairing themselves seamlessly as he turned to face the students.

"Alright, will the eight who are competing in the preliminary round come forward?" he asked, and after several moments of shuffling, during which he stood in silence as he waited, the members standing in front of him when they all had emerged from the crowd, who wrapped in a crescent around one side of the training ground.

Three girls and five boys, standing in their respective pairs as the instructor nodded, crossing his arms.

"Now, then. Henri de Ollivander, you come forward too. This first match will make use of your eyes."

After more shuffling, another student came forward, blinking a few times at being called, though while the angle was right, David was too far away to see anything abnormal with his eyes. What was so special about them?

From how a few other students talked, he seemed to have a unique ability. He wondered what it was as Guiteau waved his wand, and from behind one of the dummies came four bows, each with a single arrow, which went to the four about to do the first round.

As the four looked at them in confusion, the man nodded. "This first round will be archery, as all of you are poor in the skill. I chose this specifically because none of you can have an advantage. However, all of you may use your magic and cleverness in any way you wish to win." He pointed at one of the dummies farthest from where they stood, and with his other hand he cut a line into the dirt in front of them with a wind spell. "You will aim there, at the center of that one's body. Maria de Bernard and Robert de Mercier will go first. You may boost each other if you feel the need, and if you want to mess each other up for whatever reason you may as well, but the other team is not allowed to interfere."

He stepped back as Maria stood forward, holding up the bow in front of her, and David noticed Henri de Ollivander standing straighter where he was, focusing on the arrowhead, which swung around in a loop as she attempted to line up her shot.

Robert, standing beside her, raised his wand, though rather than performing a spell, he simply reached forward to poke the arrow shaft with the wand tip, lining it up so it wasn't swinging outward, and with a grateful affirmation from his partner, he nodded.

"Do you want me to help?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"You don't have any magic that can help me, I've never held a bow before so I've got no clue what I'm doing." she stated, and he shrugged, stepping back as she drew the string back, attempting to aim before giving up and simply letting it fly.

As expected, it not only missed, it didn't even cover half the distance, burying itself in the ground as the deflated girl stepped aside, letting her partner take his shot.

His stance was much better, and despite his shot also being weak, he did manage to hit the bottom of the stake keeping the dummy planted on the ground. He'd hit the target, better than his partner, who high-fived him as he stepped aside to let their opponents go.

Norman de Garrison was almost as bad as Maria, getting his shot only three quarters the distance. Seriously, how could all of them be so hilariously bad at this? Even David could do better before he had Gandalfr, he had some archery lessons as a child.

Heinrich Hein, the final person, managed to do fairly well, grazing the dummy's torso before it flew off and hit the ground behind it, sighing as he stepped away, while Guiteau crossed his arms as Maria high-fived her partner.

"Well, it seems the winner is...Norman and Heinrich!" he stated, grinning at their indignant looks of shock, and he waved to Henri, who stepped up and nodded.

"It was a team sport." the boy stated, blinking a few times. "Therefore, cumulative score is what matters, not individual...Robert hit the target, but Maria's shot was far away. The other team were closer together and therefore did the best."


	113. Higher or Lower

"The first round has been decided. Now, the other two teams, please step up...your round will not be archery, but a different game I have come up with beforehand."

The other eight students stepped up as the first group went back into the throng of students, both the winners and losers confused at how exactly the match had gone, but what was done was done and Guiteau was probably correct in his judgement of the winning team.

"As with the previous teams, you eight share a common weakness, as I've noticed in your assignments and grades on written exams." Several of them groaned at the statement, and he grinned, reaching into his cloak to pull out the small box from before. "Aside from that, your skills in archery are much more spread out...and we don't want Charles de Charles to have an unfair advantage."

One of the girls raised her hand, and he nodded to her to speak.

"So, what's the game then? It's not another test, is it…?" she asked worriedly, and the man laughed, shaking his head as he held the box up.

"No, no, I'm not going to bother making another test during the tournament, and as this is intended as an end-of-semester event, there's not really any new material to cover anyway. In fact, as it's so close to the end, losers will be allowed to go home if they have plans to do so. I won't force anyone to stay just to see the winner. But, I digress, it's time for the next round!"

The two teams stood next to each other as he slipped the top off the box, revealing...a modern-looking deck of cards, much to David's surprise, and the man lifted the deck out of the box, dropping it on the ground to hold them up, fanning them out to show the confused kids the faces. Definitely modern cards, but weren't only weapons and people sent between worlds? How did this get here?

"This is a deck of cards I purchased while visiting Sahara a few years ago...Here in Halkeginia, card games are rare and the quality of the paper is poor, but down there in elven territory, there's all kinds of interesting things to find, these included. There are four suits, represented by a spade, a diamond, a clover, and a heart. Those won't be necessary for this game, but it is good to know in case you ever play a game needing them. Each of the four suits contains thirteen cards, represented as an 'ace', nine numbered cards from 2 to 10, and three face cards, ordered from lowest to highest value as the jack, queen, and king. The ace, while being a one, is actually worth more than the king for the sake of this game. Any questions before I actually explain the game?"

As he shuffled the cards in his hands, the other girl stepped forward to ask her question. "Isn't this tournament for finding our aptitude for magic? Why are we playing games?"

He grinned, holding up the now-sorted deck, the backs of the cards facing the students. "I said I am measuring your skill, not your aptitude for magic…Few of you have mastered elemental magic, and only a couple more have even mastered elementless spells. Instead, I am testing your creativity and ability to handle unknown variables, which is why I used archery for a group consisting of four people knowing absolutely nothing about it and why I am playing this game with you, the lowest-scoring students in my class."

The four shifted uncomfortably at the statement, but he ignored it, holding the deck face-down in one hand and lifting the top card in the other. "Mister de Charles and Miss de Marceille will go first. The way to play this game is pretty simple. I'm going to take the first card of this deck and show it to you. You'll guess whether the second card is higher or lower in value than the first. You have two options. Either you can both guess opposite to each other and guarantee one point, or you can agree and risk getting either zero or two. To prevent ties, the second group can only agree. If somehow a tie does occur, then we'll do a second round to break it. Does that make sense?"

The four nodded as the two actively playing stood forward, and he flipped the first card, an eight of diamonds. "Alright, now talk amongst yourselves about what you want to do. I'll give you thirty seconds to decide.

If David had been playing, he'd take the safe bet and disagree with Katie to confirm they'd get a point, but then again, he wasn't great at guessing games anyway, so taking a risk wasn't a good plan. However, he was not playing and therefore had no say in the matter.

"Higher." Charles de Charles stated, while Adelaide shook her head.

"Lower." she replied, and David nodded. They'd taken the safe bet then. Evidently, Guiteau liked it as well, as he smiled when he lifted the second card.

"The three of spades. You get one point." he stated, nodding as the two grinned, before turning to the next two, setting the revealed cards at the bottom of the deck and pulling out the first card again. "Now, then. Either you win or lose with your guess, so choose wisely!"

"..." The two blinked in surprise at the card that had come up...the ace of clubs, or as Guiteau called them, clovers. An obvious choice, and one they took immediately, calling the answer without even thinking.

"Lower!"

He smiled at the reply, before peeking below at the second card, laughing at it as he pulled it out. "The ace of hearts." he replied, and they blinked.

"Does that...did we win?" the boy asked, and he nodded slowly.

"A tie is actually impossible considering suits." the instructor stated, putting the cards back together and bringing the box to his arms with a wind spell as he often did...did he just not like using his hands or something? "The clover suit is more valuable than the hearts in cards, therefore you did win...and thus ends the preliminary round."

An odd ending, but one that was undeniably simple unlike the previous round, and Henri de Ollivander, the kid assigned to watch the previous round, returned to the crowd as the man laughed, holding the box wrapped by his elbow and balanced on his hip as he waved his wand, clearing off the arrows and moving them along with the bows back to their places behind the training dummy.

"Now, then. Today was a somewhat short day, so we don't have time to start the actual rounds...The sixteen teams still remaining, prepare as much as you can for the week to come. Get with your partners and plan whatever you can, learn the training grounds, do anything you wish to prepare so long as it is not illegal." He winked at that statement. "I'll be communicating with your dorm supervisors and the cleaning staff who handle your rooms to make sure there's nothing suspicious going on...but I'm sure none of you are going to try using any hidden measures or anything!"

He hadn't looked the boy's way, but David instantly knew he was referring to Casper, who he'd somehow detected and countered back the first day he learned he had magic. Well, that was fine, he hadn't been planning to use her help anyway...after the last time, he doubted it would go well, even if she did reappear before then.

He'd need to find time to talk to Katie about their plans, he knew so little about her that he wasn't sure how it could work, and besides, she likely would want to plan her own strategies as well. That was the point of partnering up after all.

He couldn't use Derf either, so he'd need to learn knife fighting since that was his limitation, a reasonable one considering his history with Gandalfr. He didn't think the fights would go into actual danger territory with Guiteau watching, but he couldn't be lenient either...he knew for a fact that some of the students' faces suggested they were just waiting for a chance to beat up some of their stronger classmates.

Tomorrow, the tournament would start in full force.


	114. Louise the Zero

**Happy New Year, everyone!**

* * *

"Reflect!" David shouted, pointing his wand forward to block Louise's Explosion spell, ducking to the side to avoid it when, as expected, his spell did absolutely nothing, while her control had increased drastically since she'd discovered the true nature of her magic. Now, her Explosions could be directed, and though she had little control of the size, she could at least cut them short before doing too much lasting damage, a painful irony to David considering what had happened last time she couldn't stop it in time, but with her blissfully unaware of the events in Londinium, he wasn't about to explain things.

He himself did not have Derf with him, the two facing off in the training ground he frequented with nothing but wands. She'd insisted on this, a way to train her own spells while also attempting to help him with his own, but as usual, his only working one was Unlock, for reasons still unknown to either of them.

Louise sighed, lowering her wand as he walked over to her, both breathing a little harder than usual at the expenditure of willpower, and the girl crossed her arms, staring at him in a mixture of confusion and disappointment, though the latter was mostly directed at herself for failing to teach him such a basic spell that she'd already mastered. "I don't understand why it's not working!" she stated exasperatedly, waving her wand to the side and shouting the Reflect command, and as was supposed to happen, a blast of air pushed outward in a small shockwave from the tip of her wand. "It's not an elemental spell, and it only takes a little more energy than Unlock, yet you're even worse at it than I am at elemental spells!"

David was equally confused, as well as frustrated at his lack of talent. If Louise could do it, why couldn't he? He'd all but mastered Unlock already, it was as second nature as wielding Derf at this point, and yet the second most basic spell was beyond his grasp.

He knew he shouldn't be so annoyed, it was a miracle he could use Unlock at all, but if he knew he could use magic, then why was it limited to one spell? It just didn't make any sense. Louise's inability to wield elemental spells was reasonable considering Void's isolating nature, but to be unable to use any elementless magic save for one? Maybe Casper had done something to him after all to make him able to use the spell.

Then again, perhaps he simply wasn't getting how it worked. Louise was a master at written work to make up for her severely lacking elemental skill, but he wasn't the same. He worked best practically, that was the way of the musician in his experience. Being told how to do something didn't work too well, especially since he only sort of understood what magic was in the first place.

"Shouldn't you be training with me instead of her?" came a new voice, and the two blinked, turning to face the newcomer, who he recognized as Katie, coming to stand next to them, her arms crossed in an expression of obviously faked irritation. "So, my partner's worthless at magic. Great."

"You weren't much better when Guiteau put you up to that rope test." he replied, setting his wand into his pocket as the girl blinked, before holding a hand to her mouth in a small giggle.

"That was almost two weeks ago, I've gotten a lot better now...besides, he cheated using wind magic, he knew I don't have the capability to use elements yet." she replied. "And from what I've heard of you, you're a swordsman, not a mage, right? It would explain why you have so much trouble on practical lessons."

The boy raised his left hand to show off the runes as he nodded. "I'm Louise's familiar, so technically, I'm less than a commoner by the law's standards." he replied, and her giggle transformed to a laugh.

"Nobody really enforces that law, and you've objectively proven yourself worth noticing...even though it hasn't really shown yet in our class. You get along better with the second-years than you do with us, don't you?"

"Hey, that's not necessarily true...I've got friends in our class after all, and I do hope to work well with you." He grinned, holding a hand out. "David Wilson. I guess my runic name would be 'Gandalfr'."

She nodded, shaking his hand and introducing herself as well. "Katie de Huron. I don't have a runic name yet...We usually don't before second year." SHe blinked, before smiling and holding her hand to Louise, who blinked before accepting the action.

"Louise de la Valliere...My runic name is, well...not chosen yet."

David grinned. "Zero." He raised his hands in front of him defensively as she glared at him, quickly adding onto his statement to defend himself. "You can't honestly tell me that your Explosion can't be described any better way. It's not an insult, it's a descriptor, and that's what a runic name is for."

She blinked slowly at the statement, before huffing, holding her hands to her hips. "If I'm going to be 'Zero', then I'll start calling you 'King of Commoners'." she replied, and he groaned at the name, rubbing the back of his head, much to Katie's confusion.

"Is that a reference to something? Naming a familiar with 'king' is a pretty big honor…" she said, and David shook his head.

"It's a reference to something that isn't really very fun to remember." He shuddered at the ridiculous bounciness of King Henri at the time...and the shudder quickly shifted to one of memory at his death, though he quickly buried that thought and regained his composure. "Anyway...Now that you found me, we should probably plan things out, shouldn't we? I don't know much about most of the other students since I just started the class two weeks ago."

She nodded, before holding up a piece of paper she'd been holding in her off hand, handing it to the boy, who unfolded it and checked what it said...a very neatly-written bracket, copied off the board evidently.

"So we're up against...Rebecca de la Yura and Alphonse de Minde, in the fourth fight." he stated, and she nodded as he folded it and set it in his pocket alongside his wand. "What do you know about them?"

"I don't really know much about Alphonse, but the de la Yura family are a well-known family in the northern regions of Tristain. I think they're known for their earth magic, and I know Rebecca well enough that she probably will try using it as well. She won't rely on basic spells. Any idea for how to deal with Alphonse?"

"I can send Nevermore to watch him and report back before the fight. Nobody would suspect a crow after all." At the curious tilt of her head, he waved a hand. "Guiteau said we can use whatever tactics we want to collect information so long as it's not illegal, and as far as I'm aware, a talking crow is legal under loopholes with familiar laws. Besides, we can't be sure they won't be spying on us in a similar way." Though he seriously doubted anyone else had something like Nevermore on their side. He still needed to get back to handling Sheffield...her reaction to realizing he was in New Divide was worrisome, even if she wasn't aware that he himself was the leader.

"..." Katie tapped her chin with a finger, before grinning. "You're a lot more diabolical than you seem at first glance, aren't you?" she asked. "I thought you'd be a pushover, but it looks like I've got to watch out too...we'll be up against each other eventually after all, I don't plan on losing before the teams get broken up at least."

He grinned in return at her obvious determination, the same that he had. "I'll beat you and show that a crappy mage doesn't mean a bad fighter." he replied.


	115. Dawn of the First Day

**There's going to be a lot of characters introduced quickly, so I've prepared a tournament bracket if anyone wants to see it progress without losing track of everything. Just message me if you want the link!**

* * *

Katie quickly proved to be as much a genius at written work as Louise, and even without knowing about David's near-total lack of magic control, she'd already come up with several plans that didn't appear to rely on Nevermore successfully spying on Alphonse, the most unknown variable.

Now, the two sat on the floor of Katie's dorm room after Louise let him go to talk the plans out with his partner. Katie's room was larger than Louise's, being in the middle of the floor it was on rather than sandwiched by the staircase, so there was plenty of room to spread out the many papers she'd prepared, all written in the same neat handwriting.

The room was obviously meant for two people, a second bed next to hers, though her roommate was out and David didn't want to ask who it was. It wouldn't matter anyway.

He sat next to several papers taped together to form a blown-out version of the bracket she'd given him and multiple loose pages with different formations and written descriptions...reading the tightly-packed writing hurt his head, but he'd learned enough of the language by now to be able to at least slowly read.

"Did you...plan for every possible fight?" he asked, holding up one of the pages, labelled "KH & DW vs GH & HC".

"Every fight in our half of the bracket...There's also predicted brackets somewhere here too, it's kind of a mess…"

"...How long were you up doing all this?" he asked, bewildered at the sheer amount of stuff she'd written. "He only mentioned this Friday..."

"I spent most of the weekend doing this since I was already ahead in my studies, and after getting embarrassed in that stupid Unlock experiment, I want to beat Frances myself. So I planned out everything I could based on what I know...there's still a lot of gaps, but I'm hoping you're clever enough to observe and figure things out too."

"Yet you also hope I'm also easy to predict so you can beat me later?" he asked, and she smiled, holding up a piece of paper with another battle plan...probably the one she'd made for her vs. him.

"I'm glad to see that you understand our position. This isn't a team competition after all...we're just working together until it's time to separate."

Not the best mindset, but it occurred to him that that was exactly the intention Guiteau was putting into this...The man was weird, but he was smart and knew exactly what he was doing. Something like this, where nobody could really trust each other...it was fitting for a realistic situation. Maybe the man was even preparing them for war...it was a scary thought, but first years weren't immune to the draft, and war was certain to come sooner or later.

"Let's not focus on that yet." he stated, and she tilted her head as he took the paper she was holding, looking over it. "After all...this isn't all accurate. Keep observing everyone's fights before planning this far ahead." He wasn't just his sword after all, and looking over her plan for him, she seemed to be assuming he'd only go for melee attacks...that wasn't the case, but might as well let her think it for now.

"Planning is good, but I guess you're right. I don't know enough about some people, and when we win today's fight, tomorrow's...I can't even remember their names, much less their skills and weaknesses. Has your bird gotten any info yet?"

"It hasn't come back yet, but I'm sure it's still watching. They're probably planning too after all...How is this going to be scheduled anyway?"

"We're not having regular classes anymore since we did all our exams, so we'll be spending the next week purely on this...We'll probably be doing a full round per day, and get off early when we get to further rounds since most people will be leaving. He'll probably make us do multiple rounds later on, to speed it up and to test our skill when we're already tired out, but it probably won't be like that yet since the first couple rounds are just for weeding out weaker teams...Most of these are set up with stronger or more cooperative people together, so weaker ones are going to fall apart or lose quickly. We're one of the few groups who won't have such an easy time on the first round, if I'm right in my guesses."

David hummed to himself in thought, looking at the large bracket to see the pairings with Ludwig and Kelly. Their groups probably would have a very easy time, considering that Frances was allowed his most powerful element and Ludwig was implied to be much stronger than he seemed. Other groups he had no predictions for, but he did vaguely recognize a few names, like Beatrice von Guldendorf...how had he not noticed that she was here?

Then again, she only appeared in one episode, so he wasn't exactly concerned with her presence. That would be an interesting group to pay attention to.

"Anyway, we should decide our strategy...Should I bother with Unlock, or focus on melee?"

"Have you practiced yet?" she asked, tilting her head at him. "You're only allowed a knife after all, even though you're used to using a sword."

He raised his left hand and shook his head. "With this, I can master any weapon just by holding it...I'll be a bit off-balance, but it should be easy enough to counteract since I've partly figured out how to fight without it." Though that was against training dummies and using Derf.

"...I guess in the first round, it's fine to be a little clumsy." she replied. "Just don't get in the way. I'll use Reflect to handle anything Alphonse throws, but it's hard to Reflect earth magic, so I'll leave Rebecca to you. Think you can handle her?"

He nodded. "I've fought against earth magic before, and back then I was a whole lot worse."

"Fouquet?" she asked, and he blinked, causing her to chuckle as she sorted the pages around her. "I got curious about you when Guiteau mentioned Gandalfr, so I did a little snooping...You were the guy who killed her, right?"

He hesitated for a second, briefly confused by the statement before remembering that the official statement _was_ that she was dead...He'd admitted to leaving her alive to Agnes and the royal family so he completely forgot that the original plan was to fake her death. He briefly wondered where the two were now, but he was sure they were fine, even in the toxic anti-elven Romalia.

"Uh, yeah...Though I had help."

She shrugged at the statement, passing it off as acceptable. "Still, help or not, Fouquet was a Triangle-class mage. Rebecca won't be more than a Dot-class, so while she won't be nearly as difficult...be careful not to overestimate her. It's entirely possible she'll use her inexperience as a weapon, I know I'm planning on doing that."

"I'll just do my best then. If push comes to shove, I'll just go by gut feeling. It's kept me alive up to this point."

"We don't exactly need to worry about getting too hurt, you know. Guiteau's going to be watching us to make sure nobody is permanently damaged."

"So it's either a first blood or knockout round?" he asked, and she nodded.

"Pretty much. I'm going with the latter, I doubt he'll go with something so volatile as a first blood round, that's affected by way too many factors to accurately consider a winner."


	116. The First Day

The class was buzzing with varying degrees of excitement and nerves as Guiteau walked around, looking at the different groups. Today, everyone sat with their partners, and while it had caused a few conflicts in rows with an odd number of seats, things had worked out seating-wise after some help from him and several chairs being shifted around.

Rachel and Alphonse sat almost at the farthest point from David and Katie, the two arguing with each other, the students near them turning to avoid Alphonse's frequent hand motions, though whether it was infighting or just uncertainty over their game plan, David couldn't tell from this distance.

Frances and Kelly were oddly getting along fairly well despite the obvious air of arrogance the boy sat with, Kelly slouched down in her chair as if she wanted to hide herself from view, while next to them, Ludwig and Katrina sat calmly, Ludwig leaning back with his hands crossed behind his head, a grin playing on his face...What was he planning? The guy had never shown any particular aptitude even in practical tests, so whatever he was doing would probably heavily rely on his partn-

"There's three people here we have to be extremely careful about." Katie said, and David blinked, looking at her, tilting his head at her narrowed eyes, boring into the boy he'd been looking at as she sat with her hands laced together in front of her. "Beatrice von Guldendorf, a bishop as well as princess of Guldendorf and a very capable earth mage beyond Rebecca's level. Frances de Erikson, who has mastered two elements already and is more powerful than several third-year students. And the third, and most dangerous of all...Ludwig Reiner."

"...Why is he dangerous?" Now David was curious. Ludwig had never shown any real interest in fighting, and most of his practical tests were privatized so he'd never actually seen him cast magic. Still, he _was_ the valedictorian, so maybe he had some hidden ability he wasn't aware of?

"I know absolutely nothing about him, but Guiteau is incredibly difficult to impress despite how he seems. For Ludwig to be as high up in the grades as he is...Whatever his magic is, it's something I don't have any predictions for. Not to mention that he's from Germania, and Germanian transfer student records aren't publicly available...For all we know he could be the most powerful person in this school even including the staff." She shook her head, sighing. "That or he's pathetically weak and is just good at the theoretical stuff, who knows? I just have a bad feeling is all, it's probably just my nerves."

Germanian records weren't available? He briefly thought of Kirche, but then again, she was fairly open with her skill. There wasn't really much she was hiding, so he'd never thought that she was under different circumstances than everyone else.

"Being nervous is fine, it's a big deal to a lot of people here after all." he said, before turning his attention to the professor as he wrote down the bracket from before onto the board.

"Now, then, everyone, please be quiet while I explain the rules again." Guiteau stated, waiting as the class's chatter died down before continuing. "There are now 16 teams, and those who lost the last two rounds have already left for their summer break, meaning you're all the official groups who will be fighting in earnest. Now, originally I was going to have 8 fights today and 4 tomorrow, but I've decided instead to do the first four today, four tomorrow, and the second round on Wednesday. That way, we can have a full week since the second half of the tournament will be another three rounds spanning two days!"

Well, it made sense not to have one final fight for a whole day, combining like that would mean it's not as big a time waster.

"The teams battling in the first round will be given thirty minutes to fight, but you may not use any spells or attacks with lethal strength. Those who are using weapons will receive a replica created by yours truly upon starting their fight, so as to ensure that you cannot bring anything with you that provides an unfair advantage."

Well, that meant David couldn't use his pocketknife, but then again, it wouldn't have been very useful anyway against an earth mage. He'd just have to hope that Guiteau wouldn't pull any tricks with whatever knife he'd be given.

"You may also not use any trapping tactics, as since many of you do not have full control of your magic, such a situation could also prove deadly. Permanent injury is also against the rules." He winked at the class. "However, non-permanent injuries that may disable your opponent are certainly allowed."

Katrina raised her hand, and the man pointed his chalk stick at her. "What happens if we go over the time limit?" she asked, and he grinned, shifting his mantle with a flourish.

"Excellent question, and one I was getting to. Most fights will probably end before the thirty minutes are up, but in the instance a battle of attrition happens, we can't very well wait it out until someone slips up or runs out of magic. In that case, the winner will either be the side with the most still-capable members, or the one who has taken the least blows. Every fight except for his own will be watched by Henri de Ollivander, as the previous rounds were."

Another oddity that David didn't know about. Why was the boy so favored for observation? Katie hadn't listed him as a "dangerous" entity, so maybe it was just his own nerves messing with him...He doubted it was any instinct from Gandalfr seeing as he was not in combat, but it was entirely possible the runes were making him jumpy as well. They were probably just itching to get into a fight at this stage.

The teacher circled the top four fights in chalk, pointing to them as he further explained. "These are the four fighting today, and between each one there will be a break of ten minutes for other teams to plan and for them to recuperate. Every fight may be watched by anyone who wishes to, so keep your best skills hidden for now!"

An obvious statement, but he could see Katie scribbling on her planning papers out of the corner of his eye. Odd, she hadn't been nearly as invested during normal classes. Looking around, some other people were doing the same, though other than Kelly, the others he'd talked to were still mostly just lazing around.

"Unlike the first two rounds, the remaining ones will all be combat-focused, and you're free to do however you like so long as it does not break the rules. Any dirty tricks, any exploits that you can find, capitalize on anything you can see. Remember, this is testing your ingenuity as well as your skill, so I want to see you toeing the line!"

So David was right. Guiteau was preparing them for a potential war. That thought alone made the whole competition feel much more sinister, but since he was the only student who was aware of the truth of the matter, he wouldn't say anything unless the teacher did. No need to panic people after all.

Still, it was a bit strange for a teacher to be implying that he wanted his students to find loopholes, but he wasn't really one to judge the odd man. Let him do as he wished, up until now he seemed to know exactly what he was doing.

"Now, then. I suppose it's about time to head back to the training grounds and start our first match...the area has already been converted into an arena by Miss Chevreuse, so it's ready to go. The match, as you can see from the bracket, will be between Albert von Montreal and Georgia de Hiden's team and the previous winners of the archery contest, Norman de Garrison and Heinrich Hein. I was pondering letting everyone predict who may or may not win, but I decided against it, so if you want to bet on such things, do it amongst yourselves." He grin remained as he added to the statement. "I cannot be held responsible for any personal possessions that may be lost losing such bets."

David internally groaned at the thought of Isabella being here. What a nightmare this would be if she managed to predict the entire competition just to keep her 100% winning streak.


	117. An Underwhelming Start

The training grounds looked completely different from the first rounds, the dummies nowhere to be found as the entire area was turned to a flat dirt circle surrounded in rows of seating apparently carved out of stone, though as the students not fighting filed in to the seats, David ran a hand across the rock.

 _It's smooth…_ he thought as he sat down on the front row, where he along with the other five teams fighting after the first fight were to be, to make things easier when switching who was in the arena. _Mrs. Chevreuse is a Triangle-class earth mage like Matilda, but she's a lot more careful about texture…_ Then again, Fouquet had only used offensive spells when he fought her. Maybe she was equally skilled at making somewhat comfortable stonework like this.

His attention was broken away as Katie scooted next to him, sitting with her arms crossed in her lap as she couldn't take her notes here, silently watching as Guiteau made sure the four who would be currently fighting were prepared.

No one in this first group were given any handicaps or limitations, and as far as he knew, only he, Frances, and Ludwig, and possibly Beatrice, had any real difference in their skills thanks to Guiteau's rules. Most of these fights would be at full force then, or whatever it could be called since most of the students were average.

As with the previous rounds, Henri de Ollivander sat at the front row as well, already intently watching the group as Guiteau separated the two teams. The boy was as creepy as ever, dead silent and as still as a statue. David mentally noted to watch carefully when that kid went into his fight.

"Alright, are you all ready?" Guiteau asked, silencing his thoughts as he shifted to watch, the four nodding. "Alright, then on the count of three. One, two, three! Draw your wands!"

As soon as he said that last word, his image vanished. A wind clone? Well, if it worked it wasn't stupid, and as all four drew their wands at the same time, it became immediately clear that it was a good idea as the two boys, Heinrich and Norman, immediately started off with simultaneous Reflect spells, a good choice as the other team's boy, Albert, jumped in the air, the girl, Georgia, kneeling to the ground to perform the most recent spell they'd been learning, an elementless Pulse without any extra chants.

The spell blasted outward, kicking up a small cloud of dirt as it radiated out from her, Albert landing back on the ground just as the energy wave passed the spot, though from David's position, it didn't look strong enough to bother dodging like that.

 _You're leaving the spell's weakness wide open..._ he thought as he watched the dual Reflect easily dispel the weak attack. This was what he pretty much expected out of the fights. Subpar skills and constant dodging...He suspected Guiteau had ordered them intentionally to have the best fights at the end of each day.

Still, as the fight continued from that first attack, the glaring weakness in the two boys' teamwork was clear. The first combination Reflect was a good strategy, but as soon as Albert began attacking too, they quickly fell apart, collapsing into a free for all where they went alone against one enemy each.

Heinrich did manage to knock out Georgia using a close range Reflect after she tried another Pulse, but Albert's offense was more focused on leaping and dodging rather than using spells, and once he got within the range of their arms, he could cast his spells without worrying about Reflect.

It was over in less than ten minutes as Guiteau's wind clone reappeared, announcing the victory and whisking the unconscious members away to recuperate on the front row, none of them having received anything really worse than Georgia having a possible concussion.

"They won't get past Beatrice." Katie said as the next four combatants, including the Guldendorf princess she was speaking of, got ready for their fight. "Albert's too reckless, if Heinrich was more clever he'd have easily gotten past that style of fighting. Leaping around doesn't do you much good against an earth mage with her mentality."

"Isn't she a bishop too?" David asked, thinking back on what little he knew of the shortstack. She reminded him a lot of Montmorency, but it was clear in the way she carried herself as she got into position with her partner that she had a very different upbringing. It was odd, realizing there was technically a princess in the class, even though Guldendorf was actually part of Tristain.

"Yes, but she has no religious power in a sparring match like this tournament is set up for." she replied, lacing her fingers together under her chin. "She's a bit arrogant, but she isn't a fool. She knows she'll have to fight earnestly to get anywhere. Being a bishop doesn't mean anything in this situation."

"I suppose you're right...Who's her partner again?"

"Gregory de Washington. He's-" SHe was cut off by the boy holding a hand to his mouth to stifle a laugh. "What? Is that funny to you?"

"The founder of my home country was named George Washington. He helped lead a revolutionary war against a tyrannical kingdom...It's just really funny to me that someone with such a similar name is partnered with a princess."

Katie blinked, before shrugging. "Anyway, he's not anything special, but he and Henry Ford, the boy on the other team, have been friends since before they came here. It should at least be interesting...Definitely more so than the last fight."

It was odd how many names were similar to Earth ones, and why mostly American? An odd coincidence?

"So this is a team to watch out for?" he asked, and she nodded.

"They'll make it to the second part for sure. Careful, though...She's still a bishop, and even though she has no religious power, she'll go after you specifically because you're a heretic."

He blinked in surprise at the sudden statement. "I...I guess so, but is that really such a big deal? There's several people I can think of who aren't Brimirist but are decent people here."

Katie shook her head and smirked. "I don't personally care either way, though I'm Brimirist myself, but her...She's known to be a bit volatile when it comes to such things."

"Huh...Well, that can be useful to know." he replied, smiling. "If she gets reckless because of her preconceptions, then it can only be helpful to us!"

Their attention was taken as Guiteau cleared his throat, standing between the two teams, who each stared at each other around him. Beatrice and the girl of the other team had grim expression on their faces, while it was clear that Gregory and Henry weren't so serious about the fight. To them it was probably just a friendly competition, but Beatrice and the other girl, who after glancing at the bracket Katie had brought in her pocket, was named Grace de Hiden, seemed out for blood.

It was a strange sight to see how big the dichotomy in motivation was between the girls and their partners, but in a competition like this, with no real stakes at the end other than pride, it was a chance to show off their skills. They were probably just waiting for a chance to do something like this for a long time.

"Remember, no permanent injury." Guiteau said, reminding the group of the obvious rule, though David could have sworn he'd been glancing at Beatrice when he said that. "As before, this is a knockout round. Beatrice von Guldendorf may only use earth magic and no elementless spells, while Henry may issue a single command to the other team, within limitations of course. Is everyone ready?" As the four nodded, he smiled, before vanishing from the arena. "Begin!"


	118. Stoic

Right away, it was obvious how different this fight would be from the previous one as not a single spell was cast after the battle began, and as Beatrice and Gregory stood back it was clear how much more experience they had. Gregory had raised his wand and begun a chant, but Beatrice simply stood still, her hand not even lifted to take her wand from where she stored it.

The girl was one of the three most dangerous mages in the class according to Katie, and from how she carried herself, it was obvious that the judgement was accurate. She wasn't going to play around and reveal her tactics immediately.

Meanwhile, Grace stood behind Henry as he kept his wand pointed at Beatrice, the boy's eyes narrowed as he watched for any sign of movement from the girl.

"Is that a good idea, ignoring Gregory?" David asked, turning to his partner, who shrugged as she continued watching.

"I don't know much about Gregory and Henry's skills, but if he thinks it's fine to focus on her, then just let things go as they will. If it's a good strategy it'll work out, if not, they'll lose. I'm not clairvoyant."

As good an answer as he could expect, so he didn't press further, turning back to watch as Gregory completed his chant.

"Hund!" he shouted, and David blinked at the unfamiliar name, but evidently Henry had been anticipating it as he quickly turned his attention, casting Reflect to block the small beam of energy coming at them, while Grace leapt to the side, out from the cover his body provided as he laughed.

"I helped you invent that spell, you're not going to get me with our nicknames!" he stated as Gregory laughed in return, flicking his wand to cancel the attack.

"It's a fun word to say, I just had to do it at least once!" he replied, before narrowing his eyes in surprise as Grace performed a retaliating elementless Ray spell...evidently "Hund" was just a renamed version of the same thing as it had the exact same effect, though rather than going for Gregory, she instead had aimed at the Guldenhorf princess, who simply stood still as the spell aimed for her.

In the blink of an eye, the earth mage had revealed her wand, and with a quiet "Dirt Wall", a mass of soil erupted from the ground, completely nullifying the Ray spell.

Gregory grinned as his partner went into action, and he pointed his wand at the wall of dirt, which had expanded to surround him as well in the interim between her casting and his recognition. "Shield!" he shouted, the basic spell pushing the wall outward, sending a cloud of dirt flying at the two, who now were forced to go on the defensive as the combination attack completely flipped the battle around.

"I'm not concerned with any elementless abilities." Beatrice stated, her voice as calm as it had been during her chant. "I may not get along with Gregory too well, but you won't be able to hit me without using an element. Do your worst."

 _Her wand's gone again_. David thought as the cloud of dirt cleared away. Was she really so unconcerned with this that she wasn't even going to try earnestly?

With the girl's statement, Grace looked at Henry, biting her lip in frustration. "What do we do? I put twice the amount of willpower than necessary into that Ray and it just got turned against us."

Henry thought over the question, before grinning. "Don't worry, it'll be fine. She's not going to attack us if we don't attack her, right?"

His partner blinked, before a look of understanding crossed her face, and she smirked, holding her wand up, though she didn't aim it anyone in particular, favoring a defensive stance instead "Do it."

Henry nodded, turning to face his friend. "I get one order as my handicap...So I'll use it. Gregory, attack Beatrice!"

The boy blinked, before laughing, and he turned sideways to face his partner. "I was wondering what you'd do with that handicap...Too bad we planned for it." He started to chant, but it was clear that he didn't intend to finish as Beatrice's wand appeared again, and with a simple spell, the ground erupted around him, surrounding his right side with a layer of soil that blocked his wand's aim and immobilized his leg, leaving him pinned in place and unable to move even if he wanted to.

The blonde turned to the two, her expression different now as she focused on them. "I'm aware you are friends, but that wasn't a smart move." she stated. "You could have ordered me not to use magic, but you wasted your order on him. Because of that, you've lost your trump card and I'm still here. I'm not bound by any limitation to not use my magic, I simply chose not to. But you're starting to bore me. Even without using any of my stronger attacks, you won't be able to get close. If this were a real fight, then you'd both be dead in seconds. Take this more seriously."

"How long do they have left?" David asked. If they did nothing now, the two might win simply due to having more available fighters left. They didn't have to beat her after all according to Guiteau's rules.

"Ten minutes, about." Katie replied, sighing. "She's just playing with them. She'll take them both down right at the countdown, just watch."

"I didn't pin her for the dramatic type…" he said, confused as his partner smirked.

"She's a bishop and a princess. Of course she's going to be dramatic. That's how the more famous families tend to be."

Like Guiche and Louise, back before he came here. Henrietta wasn't like that though, but he held his tongue. No need to point out exceptions that could compromise him. "I doubt everyone with a famous family is like that." he finally replied.

"Well, it's not my place to judge everyone. I'm not from any important group, just a Line-class Lord." she replied, sighing and shaking her head. "She'll definitely make it to the second half, it's a good thing we don't have to fight her in the second round. Then again, that means it's likely that one of us will have to fight her alone."

She was about to continue before she was cut off as Grace shouted another spell, a Pulse much like the one used in the previous round, but it was immediately clear that her skill was nowhere near enough to handle the princess, who cast Dirt Wall again, blasting the Pulse away without even changing her facial expression.

The girl never cast an offensive attack as the two continued to fire spells at her, Reflecting her counterspells as Gregory continued to struggle to escape the bond of the Dirt Wall he was trapped in.

As the timer counted down it became increasingly more clear that she planned to win without using a single attack, as her foes were now breathing heavily, the near-constant expenditure of willpower starting to take its toll.

Thirty minutes was a long time for a battle with so few people, and they'd been paying little attention to their stamina. David knew from Fouquet that an earth mage's greatest strength was their skill in a battle of attrition.

However, exactly as Katie predicted, as the countdown dipped below the one minute mark, Beatrice finally went into action. This time, as Henry and Grace attempted to combine a Shield and Pulse spell for an elementless version of their opponents' Dirt Wall + Shield combo, she added a runic chant before her spell.

"Feol, ger, beorc. Rock Spike." True to the wording of the spell, the ground erupted around the two facing her, and just as Guiteau appeared near the side of the arena to announce the countdown's end, she stood alone, both Henry and Grace knocked unconscious and pinned to the ground by the single attack.

"And with that, the match is decided!" the instructor stated as Beatrice turned to walk off without so much as acknowledging her victory, though she at least had the courtesy to free the trapped three with the flick of her wand before pocketing it.

"It's not a victory, just a win." she stated. "Victory implies it's difficult."

 _Jerk._ David thought as he watched her leave. Still, her skill was undoubtable. Katie's assessment of her as a threat was accurate.


	119. Tunnel Vision

**I've had a couple reviews saying that it seems that the story has gone a bit off course with the current arc, and since I very much understand that concern, I felt it was a good time to explain it while the arc is still in the early stages.**

 **The tournament arc was originally intended just for filler, but now that I've had time to name and define most of the characters introduced in Guiteau's class, it's a good opportunity to get a lot of introducing out of the way so I don't have to worry about it later on, as several characters in the tournament will be important later on and events won't allow for such rapid development after the first season ends. So, while it's probably not going to be as enjoyable as the following arcs (It will return to the regular plot as soon as the tournament ends), it's a necessary evil. Besides...The whole tournament only takes place over a single week in-series, and it will be the ONLY tournament arc at least in this story. As for the slowing down of chapters being posted...I don't have an excuse for that, sorry.**

 **Hope that alleviated concerns, at least for now! The arc will get closer to the usual plot by the second part (after the first two rounds), but if anyone feels that I should skip less important battles, then feel free to mention it. I listen to reviews after all!**

 **Also, about the romance in the series. Readers from the Selfish Altruism arc and before will know I used to have it listed as a romance genre, but I've since removed that. That's not to say that there WON'T be romance, but it's been pushed back a lot. Originally, KoC was only going to be about 100k words, but around the Water Spirit Arc I realized that it'll be much longer, and currently it's estimated to be about 2.1 or 2.2 MILLION. So, to answer those concerns about the harem, it will happen, but not for a long time (My guess is about 700-800k words into the story).**

 **Likewise, remember that in the series, David has only been in Halkeginia about 4 months (beginning of February to end of May currently). The canon, being a harem series, rushed the romance and that's all well and good, but I plan to take my time with it and be more realistic here. Hope that makes sense!**

* * *

The next round blew past so quickly that had it not been for Henry de Ollivander's careful assessment, Guiteau's decision to announce the winners wouldn't have been so easy to understand.

The winners were apparent siblings, but according to Katie and a few other students sitting around him, David couldn't glean much information about them...even their names weren't well known. Apparently they were simply so easily forgettable that despite being somewhat above average in terms of grades and socialization in class, they still were generally known as "the Brother" and "the Sister".

The two were clearly annoyed at Guiteau's choice to use the descriptors to name their victory, but they didn't press as they headed back to their seats, the losers, both of whom were lying on the ground, totally drained by the fight despite its speed, quickly whisked away by Guiteau.

Just like that, the final round of the day was about to begin as David and Katie stood up, heading to where they were to stand.

The arena felt a lot smaller from inside than it did sitting around it, but that was probably because he became much more aware that they were no longer under the protection of the invisible wind barrier keeping the battles from escaping to the seating.

It didn't help that Nevermore hadn't appeared, so they didn't have any more information than they had from Katie's prior research. Wherever the crow was, it wasn't going to be much help.

Not that he really expected any. Nevermore wasn't exactly the most reliable of animals, it generally did its own thing if it wasn't told to do something urgent. It was a miracle it paid attention when he and Henrietta sent messages through it instead of it getting lost and flying to Gallia or something.

Still, that meant he'd need to use his own judgement. For now, he watched as Guiteau prepped the four, before holding out a knife to him, holding the blade in two fingers to face the handle to the Gandalfr, who accepted it with a thanks.

The knife was simple, a fairly thick blade with a smooth edge on one side, but it was clearly made for fighting, as his runes lit up almost the instant he had it in his grip.

Katie turned her eyes to the side curiously, and he shrugged at her, recalling that this was the first time anyone in this class had actually seen his runes in their activated state. It was odd to realize how odd he must look, being the only familiar in the class, but it was also nice to think about. He may suck at using magic, but he was leagues ahead of them in terms of battle capacity...with Derf, at least. Not so much with this little sparring knife.

Still, the fact that it reacted to Gandalfr meant he had an edge, even if it was miniscule. He highly doubted Rebecca would be as strong as Beatrice, so it should be enough to handle her. He just had to trust that Katie could handle going against Alphonse on her own.

"Now, for the final battle today!" the professor stated, standing back and waving his arms to motion to the group. "David and Katie versus Rebecca and Alphonse. No one is getting a handicap, nor are there any limits save for the rule against permanent injury. Let's see a good fight to end off today's lessons!"

David shifted his grip on the knife, holding it with the blade pointing in the direction of his pinky and the blade facing Rebecca as he prepared for Guiteau's signal to start.

"Is everyone ready?" the man asked, waiting for a few seconds before nodding. "Three, two, one...Draw!"

As he vanished from the field, the fight started, David jumping forward in an effort to strike before Rebecca could have time to cast a spell. He was notably slower using the small knife than when he carried Derf, but it wasn't too awkward to get used to.

He made to slash horizontally, but Rebecca jumped back as beside her, Alphonse pointed his wand at the ground, and David narrowed his eyes, but rather than worrying about it, he trusted that Katie would handle it as they'd planned. Guiteau had given no conditions to Alphonse's fighting style, so either he had no elemental spells or he wasn't strong enough to be a major concern, and David had been hit by worse than a regular basic spell before.

The memory of nearly being crushed by Fouquet's golem kept him light on his feet, attempting another slash as Rebecca held her wand up to cast a retaliation, a simple Shield that forced him to push back to keep from being knocked off-balance by the spell's vector-reflecting properties. Shielding from another magic spell was all well and good, but using a weapon against it would only serve to hurt his arm, so it was smarter just to pull his hand in and prevent it entirely, while from behind, he could hear Katie Reflecting the pulse coming from Alphonse's attack...was he using the same strategy that Georgia had in the first round?

Rebecca was an earth mage too, just like Fouquet and Beatrice, so he had to be careful even if she wasn't higher than Dot-class. In any case, the fact that Rebecca had avoided his Gandalfr-fuelled strikes multiple times, even though he was a bit clumsy due to not being used to knife-fighting, told him that she wasn't going to be a pushover.

If she was just going to Shield against his attacks, she'd be a lot harder to handle than if she used regular spells. If his fight with Fouquet told him anything, earth mages were weak against projectiles, and without any spells that could work long-range, he'd have to settle with keeping her at bay.

He didn't need to win, just hold her off until Katie defeated Alphonse, and then they could both handle her until either they beat her or the timer ended. It wouldn't be very entertaining to watch for the audience to have a similar end to the Beatrice fight, but it was the best strategy he could immediately come up with.

With that in mind, he held his ground, holding up the knife while Rebecca watched him, her wand held up in case he attempted another strike. She must be copying Beatrice then, saving her magic for defensive spells only. He took the time to glance aside to check how his partner was doing, and sighed as he found the two in a similar deadlock.

The two were both using Reflect in what seemed to be a game of tennis with some sort of spell, though it had been bounced back and forth so many times that its structure no longer was recognizable. Odd, so magic could change shape after something like that.

"Don't ignore me!" Rebecca said, and David jolted to attention, leaping to the side to avoid the spike of rock that jutted from the ground where he had been standing. So she was going to use offensive spells too...he had to be careful.

"I'm paying attention!" he called back to her, and she laughed as he held up his knife, now focused back on her. Let Katie deal with the other fight, he had this one to handle.

He had to be careful. If he lost because of some dumb mistake, then the battle would be over. It felt like not much was going on, but he could tell the energy in the air was high, even for the finale of the first day...but most of all, he did not want to lose in the first round. Winning aside, he knew he had to at least get to the second part of the tournament, and if he had to do it through slightly reckless means, then so be it.

The standstill suddenly snapped as Alphonse shouted out, and a quick glance to the side told him that Katie had gotten a hit in finally, the boy's Reflect just slightly weaker than hers at the exact moment that the misshapen ball of magical energy was able to score a hit. It didn't do more than surprise him, but that one strike was all it took for the fight to break away from how it had been before.

In the blink of an eye, it went from a fight of attrition to an all-out free for all. In this kind of fight, Gandalfr could truly shine as he managed to dodge every magic attack that was tossed. Katie's and Alphonse's attacks were nearly identical as they both were using only elemental spells, so he didn't even bother checking who was casting what. He could feel his runes tunneling his vision, so he focused mostly on hair color...if they didn't have blonde hair, they were an enemy.

At the thought of the word "enemy", he could feel his reflexes speeding up, and while he moved at the same speed as before and was just as clumsy with the knife, he felt himself simply melting around the spells flying around him as if they weren't even there. It was an odd feeling, but in the chaos of the fight he felt more calm than he had when it was at the standstill.

He felt his blade hit something, and someone crying out, but by now he was too focused to do more than glance quickly before continuing on.

Rebecca was falling to the ground, her hand wrapped around her other arm as a Shield that she'd cast fell apart, sliced through the center of the attack as if it had never been cast. He couldn't see the damage as her hand was covering it, but he knew she'd been hit, and from the look of it, it was her wand arm as the tool was nowhere to be seen.

Before he knew it, Guiteau was back on the fieldr, and as he stood straight, he looked around, confused by what had happened. It had gone so quickly, there was no way the fight was already over after the earlier deadlock.

But as he looked around, it was certain that it had in fact ended. Both Alphonse and Rebecca were being helped up by the instructor, while Katie stared blankly at her partner, unsure how to react, and as he looked around at the audience, many of them had similar expressions.

Was Gandalfr really that shocking to see? Even Guiteau was looking oddly at him, shouldn't the man be fully aware of its abilities?

After several moments of silence, Guiteau's flat expression morphed to his usual smile, shifting to hold up the injured pair. "And after a high-octane battle, the final fight of the day is won by David and Katie!"


	120. The Rumor

Guiche whistled as he stepped into the arena, which looked oddly different now that the light level was lower than it had been during the day. "So this is where you guys are fighting, huh?" he asked, raising the longsword he'd used the last time they sparred to catch the light of the sunset before swinging it in a practice slash. "It's tiny, my Valkyries wouldn't be very helpful here."

"It feels even smaller when you're actually fighting for real." David replied, sitting down at the front row and watching the boy. "If any of the earth mages were actually playing for real, they'd be able to hit the whole arena all at once, probably."

"Earth magic's tricky in small spaces, it's liable to hurt the caster as much as the target." Guiche replied, and David nodded, trusting his judgement. Here, when they were alone, the blond wasn't nearly as arrogant, and he _was_ an earth mage himself, so he probably knew what he was talking about.

David stood up, jumping into the arena and holding up the knife he'd used in the fight. "I probably could use Derf here, but I was only allowed this."

"Well, of course. With Derf, you managed to kill Fouquet and got Mott arrested...And I bet you've managed other feats I don't know about." He looked down, his expression darkening for a brief second before he grinned. "Guiteau knows you're too strong to let you be at full power, so he limited you to something you're not used to. It's something he does with everyone he sees potential in. You should have seen what limits he put on Tabitha!"

David laughed, knowing fully well how powerful the Chevalier was. If Frances could only use one element, he couldn't imagine what Tabitha's restrictions were, considering she was already a Triangle-class by that time. "Did you have limits?"

"...No." Guiche sighed in defeat as he replied. "He pretended I wasn't even there…" His shoulders sagged, before he stood straight again, laughing as he drove his sword into the ground and held his hands to his hips, taking on one of his many poses. "He was surprised when I came in third in our tournament."

David laughed, before tilting his head. "So you had a tournament too...Who beat you?"

"Montmorency." he replied, sweatdropping at the thought. "Actually, that fight's what got us together in the first place…" He sighed, his posture dropping again, and David blinked.

"Problems with her recently?" he asked the boy. "...Did she catch you with some other girl again?"

At the accusation, Guiche waved his hands in front of him, shaking his head quickly. "N-No! I'm trying to stop that now!" He lowered his hands and sighed again. "No matter how it seems, I really don't want to lose her, and I've been doing my best to get her trust again."

"Then what's the problem?"

The boy shook his head, holding a fist to his mouth to cough. "There's not problems, it's just a rumor that she told me about. It's nothing you'd care for, it's about the royal family."

He narrowed his eyes briefly at the statement, a red flag going off in his mind. Nothing good could come from anything relating to the royal family, not with the secrets he was aware of now. "I've met Henrietta before, and Louise is part of the cadet branch. I'm more invested than you think." He kept his voice level, though Guiche wasn't very observant anyway, so he doubted he'd notice anything wrong.

His hope was granted as Guiche shrugged it off. "It's been blowing around school that King Henri was assassinated and that's why there's not been any official news on the Albion conflict."

"...Really?" David asked, trying his best to keep his voice monotone, though he had to put on a fake smile and shift his hand behind his back to prevent the blond from noticing the trembling.

How could anyone have possibly found out? The only people in the academy who had been there were him and Louise. He had been very careful not to let anything slip, and he trusted that Casper was right about erasing the pinkette's memories, so she couldn't have revealed anything other than maybe that she had been to Albion. Had one of them been careless and given a little too much information? Or was there a spy like Count Thrak had warned about in his first message?

"Who told you that? It sounds like something high school kids would make up for no reason in my world." he finally answered, after a moment of hesitation as he thought over his wording.

"Montmorency did. She's connected to a lot of the gossip rings in the school, so anything that goes around ends up with her at some point or another...She mentioned it when I talked about how you were doing your tournament fight today."

"Even if it's true, does it matter that much?" he asked. "I mean, isn't there a council too, and an already seated queen? Plus there's Henrietta if things go too far south...I don't mean to sound obtuse, but there's a lot of options if Henri's actually dead."

Options he felt guilty about stating aloud, but Guiche didn't know his connections so he could at least ask him as a neutral party about the legitimacy of the alternate choices.

"...You don't pay much attention to politics, don't you?" the boy asked, before crossing his arms. "Well, I guess that makes sense...But King Henri does a lot of decision-making for the council, and Marianne is only a queen-consort...she doesn't have any real political power even though she's the daughter of the previous King Philip III, and I doubt she'll come to power if Henri's gone. The Council probably have been waiting to get into power again, they were basically worthless before because Henri's judgement tended to be accurate."

"He doesn't seem all that knowledgeable…" David said, and Guiche looked sideways at him in confusion before shrugging it off as a passing remark.

"He's the best king we've had since Void vanished...But that's a double-edged sword there because the country wouldn't know what to do without him. I'm just hoping it's only a rumor."

"He really has that much influence? Why has he never come here then?"

"He's the king, why would he come here? It's Tristain's biggest magic academy, but it's not the only one, and he has the princess to handle relations with the court messengers. There's a whole world of politics that you're not aware of…" He sighed tiredly, shaking his head. "My dad's crammed it all into my head since he's important for the military...it's exhausting just thinking about how complicated everything is."

"And that's why I would never want to be a king. Too much stuff to remember, and I'm better serving than leading...that's how a familiar works at least."

Guiche laughed, his expression brightening as the conversation shifted. "I know what you mean...I don't really want to be a soldier, but I kind of have to...not that I really mind too much. I mean, in this world, dying for your country is a pretty good way to go, so might as well make it flashy, right?" He pointed a thumb at his chest and laughed in the usual way he was known for. "I'd like to die with a pound of metal stuck to me!"

"Does your world use badges too? Ours decorate soldiers like that as well...maybe it's universal."

"Of course! My dad's got so many that he sometimes complains about back problems...He's been all over, I kind of am excited to join the military just because it means getting to see the world!"


	121. Ivaldi the Infallible

"With the slash of the Fafnir Blade, Ivaldi fell, collapsing to the ground as red began to stain the torn tunic he wore. With one strike, he'd failed. The duel was lost."

Louise scrunched up her face as David read the book, shaking her head. "Your reading comprehension is almost flawless now, but that fight was such crap. Ivaldi's supposed to be a hero, so getting beaten by someone like Aegir just ruins that."

David sighed, folding the corner of the book and closing it, setting it on the table behind him as he lay across the couch he called his bed. "I don't know, heroes shouldn't be all-powerful or they seem shallow and boring. Losing a fight just means he can make himself stronger, right?"

The pinkette crossed her arms, flopping on her back on her bed and sighing. "Maybe you just see things differently, whether because you're a guy or because you're from a different world. Weakness shouldn't be praised."

"But neither should pure talent." he replied, sitting up and crossing his legs on the couch, looking at her. "I've met people in this world who worked to the top from nowhere out of simple determination, and I've seen jerks who don't deserve a position they got simply because they happened to be strong or born in the right family."

"Your world and ours aren't the same, David." she stated, groaning. "Family ties are important to us, they define your path in life from the day you're born. It's not a bad thing, it helps keep order. If everyone went their own way, there'd be a lot more competition for positions of power, and war would break out."

"But that same thing is why the Reconquista rose to power. They support freedom from the nobility and the caste system. It's because that hierarchy is so easily abused that people aren't happy with it."

"Do you think I haven't thought of that? Every system has its problems, but our society has stayed the same for millennia...changing it as drastically as the Reconquista are doing isn't going to fix anything, it'll just shake up the foundation is all. That's why everyone's so torn on it and why it's so evenly matched between Royalists and sympathizers...they have a good cause but it can't end well. Not to mention they're targeting the de Albion branch."

"It's a mess, that's for sure...It would be so much better if it had a simple solution, wouldn't it?"

"Everything would be better if there was a simple solution, wouldn't it? That's why stories like Ivaldi's are so nice...it's comforting to read a story about an infallible hero. I bet it's the same thing in your world too, whether you know it or not."

"Well, that's true…" he said, sighing and crossing his arms in thought. "And the reason you hate that chapter so much is because-"

"Because it exposes a weakness that he was trying to hide. Rumor spreads quickly, and to have someone thought invincible lose to someone else, especially someone like Pierre, it really ruins Ivaldi's goals. He's supposed to be a supporter of the weak, so if he is perceived as weak himself…"

"...Then he no longer can be called a hero." David finished, and she nodded as his eyes widened as he suddenly jumped out of his couch, holding his palm to his forehead as the girl stared at him.

"I just got an idea...I have to go do something." Before the surprised void mage could question him, he was already out the door, Nevermore flying after him just before the door could close, the crow having returned and remained silent after he'd explained that he'd already won the fight he'd told it to collect information for.

 _So that's what's going on...It's not just a random rumor, there's actual foul play here…_ he thought as he rushed down the staircase of the tower, bolting out of the bottom door and running along the outside corridor to the grey-topped tower that served as instructor offices and storage space.

Guiteau's office wasn't hard to find, clearly labelled on the fifth floor within easy sight of the spiralling staircase, and with the light on and voices inside, he knew the teacher was inside.

He took a few seconds to catch his breath in front of the door, giving Nevermore the opportunity to catch up and land on his shoulder, cocking its head at its master's exhaustion.

As he recomposed himself, he stood up straight, holding his fist up to knock, but before his knuckles could touch the door, it opened, and Mr. Colbert stood there, smiling at the boy, who stood with a look of surprise on his face.

"Did you-" he was about to say, before the familiar over the top laugh of his teacher came from inside the room as Colbert stood aside to let him in.

"It's hard to miss the frantic wind you were generating!" Guiteau said, crossing his arms as he sat at his desk, a mass of papers sprawled out over the wood. As Colbert closed the door behind the boy, the wind mage grinned, waving his hand to one of the seats stacked in the corner of the room. "Go on, take a chair. We're not discussing anything secretive."

"R-right…" David said, obeying the man's suggestion and sitting down, Nevermore flying off his shoulder and landing on the desk, staring curiously at the man, who stared back for several seconds before idly poking the bird's side with the tip of his wand.

The crow shifted to catch its balance again, squawking and ruffling its wings in annoyance. "No poke Nevermore!"

Colbert blinked in surprise, but Guiteau simply smiled, setting his wand at the opposite side of the desk and crossing his arms again. "It's nice to see you again, Nevermore." he stated, and the bird jumped in place as he ran his hand along its back.

David stared at the exchange, before sighing. "I guess I should have figured you'd know about it." he stated, and the man shook his head.

"Her, not 'it'." he corrected. "It's not often you see Gallian crows here, but I've seen stranger species summoned by my former students. She's quite fond of you, isn't she?"

"...You're not surprised that she talks?" he asked, and the man shrugged as Colbert stepped over to stand near the student.

"The staff as a whole have decided to handwave the oddities surrounding you." he stated. "Since you are an official student now, as well as working with the royal family, there's no reason to suspect you of being any sort of spy."

David blinked, jumping in his seat at the mention of the royal family. "Wait, you...knew about my connection to Henrietta?"

The balding teacher smiled softly, before shaking his head. "No, I only had a suspicion. I suppose that confirms it, though."

"...I'm an idiot." the boy said, sinking in his seat as Guiteau laughed, adjusting to rest his elbows on the desk, propping his head in his hands.

"It wasn't much of a surprise. We've kept the students from finding out, but it's hard to get past Square-class mages like us. Not to mention that Henri mentioned after your fight today that he noticed an invisible entity near you, which confirmed a suspicion I had about you back on the first day you arrived at my class. May I ask who it is?"

 _He knows about you, Casper…_ he thought, gritting his teeth nervously as yet again, he felt the 'ghost' pass through his mind, though as before she didn't say a word as she disappeared again.

"Umm...That's classified?" he tried, certain the excuse wasn't going to work, but after a few seconds of silence, the wind mage sighed, shaking his head.

"You're right, forgive me...If you are working directly under the princess, then I don't have the authority to question your motives, and as I see no real danger in letting you have your secrets, I won't pry. Just make sure you do not use your hidden friend in the tournament and I will ignore it."

"...Thanks." David said, before blinking, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "But, that's not why I'm here! I had something I wanted to tell you...both of you." Colbert raised an eyebrow, before nodding in a motion for him to continue. "Have you heard the rumor about the king yet?"

The two men simultaneously twitched their heads back in surprise at the statement, before Guiteau sighed.

"So it's reached the students, has it?" he asked. "The Headmaster has informed us of his fate. I suppose you have information we don't?"

"No, but I don't think the rumor's harmless. Remember when Count Thrak mentioned that spy, New Divide?" They stayed silent, letting him continue. "Well, I think that triggered a spy to start spreading information...I don't know how or who, but I think whoever it was was there when Henri died. I can't say how or what happened, but I can confirm that Osmond's right."

Colbert closed his eyes in thought, crossing his arms where he stood. "What a tragedy...I was so hoping that it was only his age playing tricks with his mind."

Guiteau nodded at his colleague's statement. "Indeed...it's very troubling to have it confirmed, and to suspect foul play as well...Have you informed the princess and queen about this?"

"Henrietta already knows." David replied. "I...haven't talked to her since then, I wanted to give them time to mourn. I thought they'd need it."

"You're a good person, David." Colbert said, smiling, though it was notably more rigid than usual. "Thank you for coming to us about this first...even if I was just here by coincidence. It's good to know that you trust your teachers."

"I trust you better than I can a lot of people." he stated, looking at the standing man. "I know how loyal you are to Tristain after all…"


	122. Absent

"Well, I have other matters to attend to, so I'm afraid we'll have to cut this discussion short." Guiteau stated, grunting as he pressed his hands to the table to help him stand...he may be a Square-class, but time waits for no one. "Jean, I'll let you handle the rest."

Mr. Colbert nodded as the wind mage took his wand and walked out of the room, Nevermore watching his movements until the door closed behind him, and the bird extended her wings, flapping a few times to land on her master's shoulder again.

"I suppose I should leave too, I should report this to Osmond…" Colbert said, and David nodded, standing up and setting the seat back where it had been stacked.

"Actually, do you think I can come to your lab tomorrow?" he asked, looking up at the ceiling in thought. "Since you know about my connection to Henrietta now, there's some things I want to talk to you about...specifically about void magic. I've learned a bit from independent research that I think can be useful to you."

The balding man blinked at the offer, before smiling. "Don't you have your tournament?" he asked, and the boy shook his head.

"Tomorrow I'm not going to be fighting, and my partner's a lot better at observation than I am. She'll be fine watching without me, and I know she won't skip. Besides, I'm caught up on all my work now...and it's not like I have much use for practicing with runes since I haven't yet figured out how to use anything other than Unlock."

"Well, I suppose it's fine. I am quite curious about your runes after all." The man nodded. "I assume you know where my lab is?"

"I walk by it sometimes, and there's not exactly that many buildings other than the towers." David replied, laughing. "It would be pretty pathetic if I managed to get lost going there."

"The academy's layout is quite simple, isn't it?" the man asked, before nodding. "Well, you'd best head to sleep. Perhaps if we finish our discussion early tomorrow, you can still catch the later fights. Guiteau tells me he expects them to be short but exciting."

"Yeah, two of the strongest people in the class are having their first matches...I might regret missing out, but I don't think their battles will last very long anyway."

The boy walked alongside the instructor as they talked, Nevermore staying quiet as she often did when not called on.

"Guiteau tells me a member of the de Erikson family is in your class...Are you interested in seeing his ability?"

"Frances is supposed to be pretty strong, and he did use elemental magic the first day I joined the class, but he's only allowed to use fire magic in the tournament, and I don't think he's as strong as Kirche."

Colbert blinked, thinking for a few seconds before remembering the Germanian. "Oh, yes...her. She is certainly an exceptional fire mage, I don't doubt that she'll reach Square-class eventually."

"That's high praise coming from Enjya." David stated, and the man stiffened briefly, laughing hesitantly and rubbing the back of his head as he looked at the boy.

"You know about that?" he asked, and David smiled, holding his index finger and thumb together and pulling it along his mouth in a zipping motion.

"I've already dealt with some of the consequences, don't worry. I know you want to forget about it, so I won't mention it to you again."

The man smiled at the promise, knowing the weight it carried with the boy's runes, before shaking his head. "It's alright, I'm aware of my past and I know I can't just ignore it. You don't need to make such a promise. Is investigating that part of your mission for the princess?"

"No, just personal interest. I may be on her side, but I also am from a different world...and that village's situation is a lot closer to what has happened before in mine than many other major events I've learned of here." He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he started diverging once they'd left the tower. "Well, I should get to sleep. See you tomorrow!"

The teacher waved as David left, heading back to Louise's dorm as he thought over the issue.

A spy could be handled by the staff now that they were aware of them, so he doubted he'd be any real use. He may be New Divide, but his knowledge was getting less and less useful every day, it would take real investigation to find a spy, investigation he had neither the time nor the skill to accomplish. Let the adults handle it then. He couldn't act as if he could insert himself into every minor issue.

He turned his head to the bird on his shoulder as he walked, smiling as he raised a hand to her. "So you already knew Guiteau, didn't you?"

"Guiteau friend. Wind mage!" Nevermore stated, running her beak and the side of her head against his palm. He chuckled at the motion, before pulling his hand back down.

"Do wind mages have a special skill with birds or something?"

"Like saying. Not important!"

"Do you wish I was a wind mage?" he asked, and the bird ruffled her feathers, seemingly thinking over the question.

"Prefer void. David friend empty."

He blinked at the slightly ominous statement, before laughing. "I can't inherit void, silly. I'm a commoner."

"Don't care. Want void." Nevermore hopped onto his head, bouncing a few times as he opened the door into the tower Louise's dorm was in. "More fun."

"More destructive, you mean. Void is really dangerous, don't you know?"

"Sheffield friend tell Nevermore. Void fun! Void strong!"

"I can name at least 3 mages right off the bat who are stronger than all the current void mages...Come to think of it, two of them are wind mages. Huh."

He went quiet as he pushed the room door open, the crow still chattering, now mostly talking to herself as the pinkette glanced at the door from her book, idly waving to him as he entered. He waved back, yawning and heading to lie on the couch he called his bed, Nevermore hopping off his head onto the arm of the furniture where her footing was more stable.

"I just realized how tired I am…" he said to himself, and Louise shrugged at the comment.

"That's what happens when you have a tournament fight, do sword training, and start running around the academy in the same day, plus that whole Ivaldi discussion. I bet if you weren't Gandalfr you'd have collapsed right after coming back from your session with Guiche."

"We didn't do a whole lot of actual sparring today, it was mostly just discussing the tournament." he replied, crossing his arms behind his head. "I don't have a fight tomorrow, so I think I'll take it easy."

"If you make a mistake, it's not my fault. Stupid familiar."

He smiled at the weak insult, turning his head upside-down over the arm of the couch to look at her. "You know part of why I'm getting stronger is to protect you, right? That's what a familiar is supposed to do."

"Even though your motivation is just for yourself." she replied, before her expression softened to a wry smile. "But hey, your whole thing is being a selfish hero at this point, isn't it?"

"Hey, you said yourself that I can be selfish and selfless at the same time. Don't go back on what you said before."

"I don't need to, I know you got the message already. Just...be careful not to hurt yourself. Your runes…"

"They don't hurt anymore." he replied. "I figured you'd realized that they react when I disobey you, but they've stopped now. They haven't been a real problem since before we left for Albion."

Her smile widened at the statement, and she held up two fingers in a V-sign, a motion she hadn't done in so long that David had to think for several seconds before remembering that he taught her it at some point. "Maybe the spell finally realized it can't control you and gave up?"

He laughed, before yawning again, adjusting to be more comfortable as he felt himself drifting off to sleep. "Hopefully."


	123. Dragon's Blood

It felt odd getting up later than usual, but David had decided to get as much sleep as possible. The fight the day before had been exhausting, and staying up so late hadn't helped matters...Besides, he wasn't going to class today, so might as well catch up on rest.

Louise had already left for her classes, and he briefly wondered what her end-of-semester exams were like, but as she hadn't bothered telling him, he assumed they were probably just regular tests rather than the more exciting tournament the first-years had.

Katie would be fine without him, though he did regret not being able to see Frances and Reiner fighting...No offense to Kelly, but those were the two who actually mattered. Still, he doubted they'd be using any real power in their first fight, so it probably wouldn't be very interesting anyway.

Nevermore balanced on his head as he grabbed Derf's sheath, slinging it over a shoulder as he usually held it and heading out the door, heading towards Colbert's lab as he said he would. He briefly wondered what it looked like, having not been there before, but he imagined it to be more underwhelming than the anime's version. Colbert wasn't a messy person, he wouldn't have things strewn everywhere like the canon had suggested.

The air outside was windy, and a thin cloud of smoke was coming from the direction of the outdoor arena...evidently they'd already started, then. If smoke was getting out, the wind barrier must have been damaged. Had Frances already started, or was it just someone earlier getting a lucky shot in?

Well, he'd ask Katie tomorrow. He had more important things to do right now.

The lab was easy to find, a big blocky building near the wall on the gate side of the grey-topped tower he'd been in the day before.

Labelling the towers by element made sense, but in his mind it really was easier to refer to them by color instead.

He stood at the entrance to the lab, knocking lightly on it and cringing as he almost immediately heard something crash against the floor inside, and almost two minutes passed before it opened, a sheepish-looking Colbert holding a hand to the back of his head as he let the student in.

Well, assumption that the lab was neat and tidy proved a lie. The place was trashed, papers strewn everywhere and nearly every flat-topped surface covered in various instruments, some archaic and some almost modern to his world. Just another oddity of the technology of this world, probably. He doubted that modern glass beakers would be used regularly if they weren't common here.

"Er, that sound was…" David asked, and Colbert shook his head.

"I wasn't expecting you to be here this early, so I had started working on a project I've been meaning to get to...It's nothing dangerous, I just dropped a book is all." He lifted his other hand to show the offending text, the title written in runic font across the front covert. David had memorized the runes by now, but reading them with such a brief glimpse told him absolutely nothing about what it was about.

"This place is a mess." the boy said, looking around before bending over to pick up one of the pages as the teacher closed the door behind him, the room now lit simply by window light and small candles strewn around in places that would probably not be safe had the man not been a master fire mage. "What's this about?"

He handed the page to Colbert, who looked at it before shrugging. "Some old paper probably, I don't even remember writing this one...I tend to forget about older projects. I really should get to sorting my experiments, shouldn't I? Feel free to look around, I'm not hiding anything . Not that I could with your authority."

As he wandered around the maze of instruments, the boy shrugged. "Just because I work with Henrietta doesn't mean I work _for_ her. I don't have any more authority than other students here." He blinked as he noticed the wall of bookshelves at the back of the room, heading to it and looking over the titles. "There's a lot of different languages here...You can read all these?"

"Of course. All of the instructors can speak at least 3 languages. It helps when dealing with students who don't speak Tristainian." Colbert explained, walking next to him. "Though most of those are just fiction series or different translations of Ivaldi's stories."

"Ivaldi...Louise talked about him, and I've been reading some of them to learn the writing. An infallible hero, right?"

"As someone who researches history, Ivaldi's tale is very interesting...Did you know it's the oldest surviving saga?"

David blinked at the statement, genuinely surprised by the claim. "Really? And it's still popular?"

The man nodded, and as his position shifted, it became clear that he'd entered his educator mode, suddenly talking far less formally. "It's said that the original saga was written by one of Brimir's disciples, and it's been rewritten and added on to many times since then. It's an interesting social science phenomenon that it's remained popular for over 6,000 years."

"Really, it's that old?" That was actually genuinely good information to know. He briefly wondered which of his disciples had written it. Vidar, the gravely serious Mjöðvitnir? The Lífþrasir whose name he had forgotten? He doubted it was Sasha, though then again, he had no idea how much time had passed between her meeting the legendary void mage and the vision he'd had of her after his death.

He had almost forgotten about that vision, but thinking back, it had been oddly random. Why had that happened back then, but not again? Maybe it had just been Sheffield spying on him and messing with his mind. It was possible he'd simply invented the things he'd seen. After all, Brimir couldn't have been as young as he had been in the first vision.

Still, those visions had a strong connection to Ivaldi, that much he could tell. The infallible hero had been invented by someone who was close to Brimir...he'd have to keep that in mind. He didn't have the tools, or the power, or the reputation to go searching for more connections. Who knew, he may be way overthinking it all and they were totally unconnected. Best to forget about it for now, then.

"Oh, I almost forgot why I even came here…" he said, blinking and shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "I heard you were working on something related to the 'dragon' that appeared in Tarbes several decades ago...I'd like to see that experiment, if you'll allow me."

The man jolted in surprise, before laughing hesitantly. "Well...yes, I've been doing some testing related to that." He waved to the boy, who followed behind him as he made his way to one of the desks in the room, on top of which sat a series of beakers and test tubes, interconnected with glass piping and filled with various chemicals, some of which he suspected were magical in nature. The man took hold of one of them, filled with a pale yellowish liquid, and held it up to let it shine in the light. "This is how much dragon's blood I've synthesized so far...I've not yet perfected the process, but it has some very interesting combustible properties."

He handed the beaker to David, who held it up and with his other hand blew across the open top, wafting the chemical towards him. Lab safety was something he remembered very well from his chemistry classes back on Earth. Don't stick your nose right above a chemical, even if you're fully aware what it is.

It was definitely gasoline, and though he didn't know much about the compound since he hadn't gotten a driver's license before coming here, it seemed well refined too. Still, it wasn't enough to fill a plane's fuel tanks, so there wasn't really a point in going to Tarbes quite yet. "How did you figure out how to make it?"

"Principal Osmond has collected some from in his youth and gave it to me to study. It's quite interesting, it doesn't have similar properties to normal blood or really any liquid I can think of…"

The boy thought over the pros and cons of telling him the truth, but decided against it as he hummed to himself in thought. "Well, there's many kinds of dragons in this world. The ones the Dragon Knights use, rhythm dragons, Romalian horned dragons...It's possible one has a completely different circulatory system."

The lie was mostly based on the assumption that this world didn't have a concept of anatomy to that extent, and it seemed to pay off as the man nodded in agreement. "Dragons are a mysterious group, there are many secrets we don't know about them. Then again, they're not really my forte, I'm a history professor, not a scientist. This is just a side project."

"Keep it up, you may discover something special." David replied, before setting the beaker back where it had been on the table. "Anyway, I'm curious what other things you've been working on. It seems like nobody here seems to use alchemy all that much…"


	124. Day Three

Listening to Colbert ranting about various things for 8 hours was both entertaining and exhausting. It was no wonder Louise often came back drained whenever she had his class at the end of the day, and David was thankful when Guiche, equally tired from the day's exams, decided to call off the day's sparring. Both of them needed rest, even if Nevermore was more excited than usual, flapping around her master's head like a feathered bee and chattering loudly when all he wanted to do was lie still on Louise's bed.

The pinkette was late today, having to stay after school to finish her exam since it evidently required practical application of elements, meaning she had to do a special test for her Void. Still, her staying late meant he could pass out on her bed guilt-free. Sometimes, it was nice to sleep in an actual bed rather than the couch, not that he minded it. He'd slept on the couch long enough now that it was oddly comfortable.

He was asleep within minutes of hitting the pillow, and even Nevermore's annoying shrieking didn't wake him as the light outside the window faded away.

Louise was back soon after night fell, but rather than questioning the sleeping boy, she simply smiled and slipped into the sheets next to him, turning to face him and nodding to herself in satisfaction, before pulling the covers above her head and allowing herself to drift off as well.

~~~The Next Day~~~

It was awkward to say the least, waking up to find his head held close to the void mage, her arms tightly wrapped around his neck and pushing his face into her neck. She was still wearing her school uniform, so there wasn't much awkwardness to look down on, but the position itself was embarrassing enough that Derf made a comment on it when it noticed he'd awoken.

"You haven't given me a real battle in a while, but I'm getting some adrenaline anyway!" the sword stated, and David sighed as he picked Louise's arms from around him, the girl's arms flailing weakly for the source of warmth before giving up and curling up under the blankets as he stood up, grabbing the sword and pulling it out of its sheath to look at it.

It had been a while since he'd used it, but that just meant things were peaceful. "Sorry, Derf, I can't use you for the tournament." he stated apologetically, and the sword laughed, its 'mouth' clanking repeatedly.

"That's alright, partner. If you wielded me, you'd destroy all those students. You need a challenge. I'm not getting any stronger or weaker, but you've got to keep yourself sharp. That's the difference between a weapon and its master."

He chuckled at the statement, one of Derf's random oddly wise moments, and sheathed it again, leaning it against his couch and picking up the knife Guiteau had given him the day before. He'd be using it again today after all. "Tell Louise I said good morning." he stated as he opened the door to leave.

"Good luck, partner." Derf stated, and David nodded, waving goodbye as the door closed. How the sword had the ability to see was beyond him, but it was just another mystery he assumed he'd never have a reason to learn the answer to.

The walk to the arena was spent in silence, as he was alone but for his own thoughts. His fight would be the second today rather than the last, and he had a feeling he already knew who'd be in the next two.

Katie waved as he came into view, and he adjusted his path to walk to her. Most of the group were in the first row now, and as usual, Ludwig looked completely relaxed and Frances was simply bored. So as expected, they'd won their fights.

A few of the losers from the first day and what he assumed to have been the second day were also watching from the second row, probably either having not been picked up yet or staying for the summer.

He sighed as he sat down next to his partner, who glared at him, leading hm to wave his hands in front of him defensively.

"Sorry, I had things to handle yesterday!" he said, and Katie continued to glare for a few seconds before sighing, running a finger through one of the twintails she'd put her hair into today.

"Whatever, it's not like there was much to learn yesterday. None of the heavy hitters actually fought, they just had their partners do everything for them."

"Wait, really? Did they do the same thing Beatrice did?"

She shook her head. "No, I mean they truly did nothing. Frances' fight ended by default, one of them gave up because of his reputation and the other was easily taken care of by Kelly alone. As for Ludwig's…" She laced her hands together to balance her chin as she often did when she was thinking. "I misjudged Katrina. I figured she'd be pretty average, but she took care of her fight alone. Ludwig didn't need to cast a single spell. She may be someone to watch out for too."

David was silent as he processed the information, before nodding. "And the other two fights?"

"Nothing special, they'll be beaten by those two groups today. Maybe we'll finally get a chance to see Ludwig's magic though, none of us have ever quite managed to get him to show why he's the valedictorian."

"Is he really that much of a mystery? I mean, he doesn't seem-"

"Talking about me, bro?" asked the subject of the conversation, and the two jolted as they turned to face him. Ludwig was standing next to them, grinning as he held his hands crossed behind his head. "You two tend to rant a lot, don't you?" His grin widened as he lowered his hands and sat down next to David, laughing as he leaned back. He wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulder and turned to face the two. "It wasn't a big deal before this whole tournament thing, but still...You want to see my magic, you'd better beat your way into the second stage! I won't be doing anything until then!"

David's eyes narrowed briefly, before smiling. "Guess it won't be as easy as asking you, will it? This is a battle after all, can't just ask the enemy how to beat them."

The boy's grin was clear as he nodded rapidly. "That's right! Besides, even if you did know what I can do…" His face suddenly went serious as his grip on the Gandalfr's shoulder tightened briefly. "You won't stand a chance."

The tone of his voice sent a chill down David's back, his fighting senses lighting up. However lackadaisical and carefree he was acting, Ludwig was taking this tournament just as seriously as anyone else.

The cloud of sheer terror the boy felt at the grinning mage next to him suddenly lifted as his face returned to normal, his hand leaving his back and resting in his lap as he laughed, a genuine one completely different from the voice he'd taken just now.

""Oh, man, you should have seen your face! I've never seen you break your gaze before, guess I'm pretty scary after all!"

"You're not funny." Katie said, frowning. "And aren't you supposed to be with your partner?"

"Oh, don't spoil my fun! David's my friend, friends mess with each other!" He waved his hand as he forced his laughter to subside. "And Katrina and I have a flawless plan, and besides...you said yourself, I don't need to do anything. Katrina's plenty powerful without assistance. Just focus on your own fight!" His grin remained in full force. "Those two you're fighting next...Be careful, I want all three of us to get to the second stage!"

David blinked, before smiling, holding a fist forward. "Don't worry, we'll beat them. I'm not losing on the second round."

Ludwig completed the fist bump and nodded, before standing up. "Well, I'd better give Kelly the same pep talk...and I want to mess with Frances a little. Bet he's nervous now that he's a step closer to having to fight me!"


	125. A Cruel Truth

As Ludwig made his way around the group, chatting with nearly everyone, Katie remained silent, watching him with narrowed eyes and keeping her chin on her hands. "He's still as dangerous as I thought." she said quietly, noting how Henri de Ollivander stared at him the same way she was. "Henri's worried about him too, I recognize that look in his eyes...I'm just happy we're not in a real war with him against us. He's way too laid-back to not be a challenge."

"We can't learn anything from him if he doesn't want us to, can we?" David asked, leaning back with his arms behind his head, looking up into the sky and squinting at the sunlight before looking down again to avoid blinding himself. "He showed off his true nature just now, but I doubt he'll reveal anything else until it's actually time to go up against him...Let's just focus on watching the next fight."

"Right. Beatrice is up again. I doubt Gregory will matter anymore, but she's still a threat...This fight won't be difficult for her at all."

"Albert and Georgia didn't do all that well in the first round, they only won by luck, right?"

The girl nodded, closing her eyes as she thought over the situation. "They're both below average in terms of grades and magic power. Even if Gregory does nothing and they both work well together to go against her, they won't be able to get close unless she decides not to attack until the end like last time. The more I think about it, the more I realize that ours is the only fight whose outcome can't be predicted immediately...We just don't know enough about those two, and their first fight ended too rapidly for even Henri to explain what happened."

"Isn't finishing a fight quickly normal for a big difference in power?" he asked, and Katie shook her head.

"Yes, but for it to be so quick that even he couldn't register it...Henri is a member of the de Ollivander family, they're famous for their Clear Sight spell. Under normal conditions, nothing short of Square-class magic can avoid that spell. That's why I'm so nervous, I can barely think of a plan to deal with Beatrice…"

David clicked his tongue at the statement, the first time she'd admitted to being genuinely concerned about a battle, and glanced sideways at the subjects of the conversation...The sister was batting away Ludwig's efforts to hug her as he'd done to everyone else, and the brother was watching with amusement. They didn't seem all that strong, and he'd not heard much about them before the tournament started. He still didn't even know their names.

His attention was broken as Guiteau appeared in the middle of the arena, evidently using wind clones as he had the first, and presumably second, day. The professor snapped his fingers several times to catch the attention of the seated students, and Ludwig stopped irritating the Sister to pay attention, sitting himself down between the siblings.

"Alright, everyone! Time for the second round!" Guiteau said, swishing his cape in the usual over the top way he tended to. His face was raised in a smile, no trace of the concern he'd had the first night when he'd talked to the Gandalfr. From somewhere in his mantle, he drew out a piece of paper, unfurling it and opening it for the group to see.

A tournament bracket, the first round fully filled out now as those fights had been completed. "As I told you on the first day, today will consist of every second round fight. All the rules are the same, nothing will change until the third round...but don't worry about future fights just yet! Everyone, focus on today! Do your best, observe your classmates, and win!" He turned the paper to look at the bracket, waving his hand as he called out the names. "First round of the day. The winners of the first day's first round, Albert von Montreal and Georgia de Hiden, versus the winners of the second round, Gregory de Washington and Beatrice von Guldenhorf. Come on up!"

The four stood up and shuffled from their seats, standing next to their partners opposite each other as they had the first day. Today, Beatrice was noticeably more relaxed, while Gregory was as antsy as Georgia as they stared at each other, Guiteau standing between the groups.

"Both of you had interesting strategies on the first day, I'm curious to see how you'll work together today. Ready? One, two...Draw your wands!"

His clone disappeared, but unlike the first day, no one cast a spell, though the three less remarkable fighters raised their wands in front of them in preparation for an attack.

David watched the fight with as much interest as Katie, noting the difference from the first day.

 _They're not being reckless this time._ he mused. _They know Beatrice is strong now, and they can't just act rashly since they know she's willing to use Gregory as a shield._

It was barely noticeable, but he could tell that the two were learning from the past battles. Whereas they made the first move immediately on their first fight, now they stood in silence, both of them training their eyes on the bishop. They knew they couldn't make a bad decision here. Beatrice was an unforgiving stone wall.

This time, it was Gregory who acted first, and rather than casting a spell, he simply jumped forward, keeping his wand raised to counter any possible attack as he raised his empty fist towards Georgia.

He cut his momentum and jumped back as Albert leapt in front of the girl, casting Reflect and causing the other boy to pause, just long enough for Georgia to duck down, driving her wand into the ground and spinning her body in a low kick, using the wand as a small fulcrum for the motion as, like the first day, Albert jumped into the air above the attack, which connected with Gregory's shin and knocked him over, though he managed to grab her leg as he fell, pulling her to the ground with him and causing her to let go of the wand, his own skittering off to the side.

While the two ended up brawling without magic on the ground, Albert pointed his wand to the stoic Beatrice, who watched the skirmish with boredom, only glancing briefly at him as he aimed his wand at her.

"Ray!" he shouted, the elementless spell bursting from his wand, though she simply stepped aside, clearly unimpressed by the effort, and he stepped back, gritting his teeth. "You don't need to be so arrogant, you know!" he shouted, though the look in his eyes made it clear that he was well aware of her power. She had the ability to back up her tendency to look down on people. Still, as his partner jumped up and rushed forth to tackle Gregory, he fired another Ray, which again was met with only a sidestep.

She was just toying with them, just like in her first match, only this time, she didn't even have the courtesy to crack a smile, keeping her arms to her side, her wand untouched.

Georgia growled in annoyance, bringing her head forward to smash against Gregory's forehead, causing him to release his grip on her shoulders and enabling her to knee him in the stomach, sending him sprawling to the ground again.

"Albert!" she shouted, and he looked at her as she jumped over her fallen enemy, and he grinned, his expression totally changing as he took another step back, putting more distance between him and the earth mage.

Beatrice raised an eyebrow as the other girl started to run toward her, a shadow of a smile finally passing over her face as she spoke.

"So that's your plan. Make use of my decision not to fight, and attempt to rush me. Well, my body is small and fragile, it's a good plan." Her hand raised to dig in her mantle, grabbing her wand from its pocket and pointing it upwards. "But I'm bored, and I don't want this to drag on like last time."

Georgia continued to run, and Albert laughed as he pointed his wand to their target. "We did our research on earth magic. You won't beat us!"

David blinked as their plan clicked in his head, just before Albert shouted his spell. "Pulse!"

However, rather than coming from the wand in his hand, he instead caused the ground to shake, and Beatrice shifted her foot, her stance broken by the tremor and her aim shifting.

Still, her expression didn't break like her footing did, and only the briefest widening of her eyes suggested she even noticed the attack, no surprise on her face at the disconnect with how he could have cast it.

"Feol, ger, beorc. Rock Spike." The chant was monotone, and Georgia shouted as she was sent flying by the attack, out with one strike as the last people to deal with the spell had been. As she lowered her wand, she looked back at the surprised Albert. "A good plan, stepping on that wand your partner stuck into the ground earlier. Anything can be used as a wand as long as it has contact with your body, and you used that to cast a Pulse into the ground...Clever, but unfortunately nothing special."

Albert barely had time to blink before he too collapsed, another rock spike slamming into him from behind and sending him sprawling as Gregory stood up, breathing a little harder than normal but otherwise uninjured.

With that, the fight was over, and Beatrice once again had won without moving from her spot...though David had a feeling the fact that she'd been forced to shift her footing had unnerved her. She wouldn't go lightly on whoever she fought in the third round.

As Guiteau reappeared, Beatrice simply turned around, ignoring him as she went back to her seat, and Gregory sighed as he followed behind her.

"You could at least ask if I'm alright, you know." he said, and she didn't even bother turning around to reply.

"You're not my ally anymore. Tomorrow, we'll be enemies."


	126. Reset

The buzzing in David's head and the fog in his vision made it difficult to remember exactly what was going on. He could hear voices and see blurs of light, but they made no sense as they flashed past him. Was he falling? Was he in the Gandalfr tunnel vision again? What was going on?

For that matter, why did it really matter? It wasn't real. Daydreaming could be a vivid experience sometimes, but the vision of that world faded away as he shook his head, cursing under his breath as the pick in his hand squeaked over the strings of his guitar.

The thing was old, and sometimes it didn't tune properly. It always was that same string, the one he had to replace most. He could easily just buy a new guitar and be over it.

But he liked this one. It was an old Martin HD-28, bought and used for decades by his grandfather before being passed down, eventually to him. He never knew the man himself, but he respected him from the stories his mother had told him, and he didn't want to let go of the family heirloom.

He wasn't exactly bad with the instrument, in fact he was pretty decent, when it was tuned properly. Years of practice had paid off, and now he was pretty good at picking up on new songs when he found them. Drums were loud and the sticks were uncomfortable, and the last time he tried piano he'd broken two of the keys somehow. No, he'd just stick with the old guitar instead.

He smiled in satisfaction as a minute movement of his finger on the headstock yielded the result he wanted, the problem string relaxing just enough that it didn't squeak when he ran his pick over it. After testing a few more notes to make sure it was working properly, he nodded and rearranged the positions of his hands to play.

With the problem string fixed, the tone of the song he played was much nicer now, and he closed his eyes as he let himself be lost in the music. Band practice had been cancelled today unexpectedly, and he guessed he had about half an hour before his mother would be at the school to pick him up. In that time, he doubted anyone would be around, so he could play all he wanted.

Still all good things come to an end, and the song trailed off as he finished playing, sighing before returning the instrument to its case, standing up and slinging his backpack over his shoulder. He wouldn't keep his mother waiting just to get a little practice in after all.

He hummed a tune, an opening from some anime he couldn't exactly remember the name of, but it was catchy and easy to recall the beat so it didn't really matter to him. What was he watching currently again?

Oh, right, Re:Zero. Last episode they'd killed off Rem yet again, not that it really made a difference since the next one would likely have her back and perfectly fine, so it wasn't really a big deal...even if she was his favorite character.

The test tomorrow wasn't a big deal either, he'd studied plenty for it, so he could spend the night before binging the rest of the series. It would probably be cold, February got really chilly around now, so lying in bed rather than being up and skimming study guides was much more likable to think about.

While he walked, he felt a tug at his shoe, and looked down to notice the loose string. Of course, today everything was going wrong. Still, he was in a good mood, so he wouldn't let it bother him, and he simply bent down to retie the lace.

While he was doing so, he jumped in surprise as someone shouted something in very rough French. "My servant that exists somewhere in this vast universe, my divine, beautiful, wise, powerful servant, heed my call. I wish from very bottom of my heart that you heed my summon and appear!"

Eh, probably someone reciting a poem or something, he didn't know enough French to understand more than bits and pieces, and he was no drama student. He preferred the notes of music over the words after all. While it was annoying to have someone shouting nearby, it wasn't exactly unusual at a high school.

He stood up, having finished fixing his shoe, and continued walking, continuing his humming as he passed by a couple walking the other way. The two stared at him briefly, but quickly looked away when he stared back.

He sighed as he made it to the location he usually went to be picked up, his mother's blue 2009 Pontiac already at the road connected to the main sidewalk, the woman sitting in the driver's seat with the car running, waving as she noticed him coming.

He reached to open the side door, tossing the guitar case and backpack in before getting in shotgun, and she smiled as he put on his seatbelt. "You seem a little tired, you okay?"

"Yeah, just annoyed. You know I hate when schedules get changed."

She laughed as she drove off, the school disappearing quickly as she made a turn, the buildings blocked by trees as they headed home. "Did you talk to your club advisor? Megan or Katrina or something like that..."

"Yeah, Karen's out sick. So are a couple of the members. Whatever, one missed day won't be too bad. It's not like we have official concerts or anything."

"But it's your passion, I know I wouldn't like it if my passion got put off just because someone didn't show up."

"Mom, it's not my passion. I just like it. I don't really have anything I want to make a career out of yet."

"You're 17, shouldn't you be thinking about getting a job?"

"Yeah, but what is there? I don't want to get stuck with fast food or something. Maybe I'll write a book or make songs. I'm good at those."

"Get a career, those aren't stable enough to be certain. Oh, did you hear Maria got promoted?"

"Makes sense, I guess." His oldest sister was a hard worker, totally opposite his own laid back nature. He'd rather sit around and work indirectly than be as proactive as she was. Just another reason the daydream was weird to him...he'd never bother to learn how to swordfight.

"Quiet as usual, huh?" she asked, turning her gaze fully to the road. "You know, one of these days, something's going to change, and you'll have to make a decision. You're-"

"Mom, please don't go into that rant again. I've heard it enough, I get the point."

"Maybe you could go into babysitting or daycare services. You're really good at calming Sheena down."

"Sheena's 8, and she's my sister. I know how to handle her because she's been around me."

"Oh, don't act like that. You're good with kids, you just don't realize it. Watch, I'll bet you 5 dollars that when we get home, Sheena will be crying, Rose will be trying to get her to calm down, and she'll stop as soon as you enter the door."


	127. Return to Reality

**My computer has not yet been fixed, so I'm currently writing on another one for the time being so it doesn't take too long for the story to continue. No, it wasn't an April Fools joke, unfortunately.**

 **My apologies if this chapter feels a bit off, this new computer's screen and keyboard layout is very different from what I'm used to so I'm not really back in the groove yet!**

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The remainder of the ride home was spent in silence, David simply enjoying the warm air blowing from the heater and humming Oracion to himself...he had the feeling he hadn't played it in a while, so it was nice to get back to it. It was one of his favorite melodies after all.

As his mother stopped the car just before entering the driveway to let a couple walking down the sidewalk pass, he blinked, watching them as they passed by, his humming cutting short.

His mother blinked, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel...was he usually this attentive that he'd notice such a small motion? "Something wrong?"

He stared as the two walked away, before shrugging. "No, just...got deja vu all of a sudden. I think they looked familiar. Whatever. I'll go ahead and get out!"

Before she could respond, he unbuckled his seatbelt, leaving his possessions in the car...he could get them later. For now, he walked through the open garage door and entered the house.

The woman's prediction proved incorrect as Rose's car wasn't even here, while Mary was on the living room couch watching some show, only a wave showing that she even noticed her brother's presence as he walked past her.

Sheena was fast asleep in her room next to his, an unusual sight but nothing particularly alarming. His own room was as it always was, messy and difficult to navigate for anyone who wasn't him. He never had much reason to be tidy, and this way he didn't have to worry about anyone messing with his stuff.

He groaned as he laid out spread-eagle on his bed, staring at the ceiling fan, which he hadn't turned on in days thanks to the cold weather. He had been out and about a lot more recently, and the cold had sapped his strength, so as his eyes closed, his drowsiness finally caught up with him.

He awoke as the sun was setting, yawning as he sat up and stretching his arms to his sides, instinctively glancing at his left hand.

He shook his head as, as expected, there was nothing there. Of course there wasn't, it was just a daydream after all. As he set his arm back down and got off his bed to head out, he shrugged, ignoring the odd feeling that something was missing.

He grinned as Sheena darted toward him, and he bent down, spreading his arms out to catch the youngest child in the family and lift her off the ground. She was eight now, but she still acted like she was a baby around him, and he certainly didn't mind. He was by no means affection-starved, but it was nice to know that someone could get so excited to see him.

"Welcome home!" she said, and he nodded as he walked downstairs, still holding her up. "How was school?"

The statements were a little oddly articulate for her usual jittery way of speaking, but he shrugged it off as just him being paranoid again. "Pretty boring, but we had to cancel band."

Sheena laughed and waved her hands in the air. "I bet someone cast a spell on Karen!"

He blinked, and was about to say something before suddenly, his vision started to swim again, and as he found her missing from his arms, he held a hand to his forehead, reaching the other to grab the banister of the stairs to keep himself steady.

His wide-eyes expression morphed to a grin as the world faded away, replaced by a thick fog that also began to dissipate as he raised his knife, the metal reflecting away the spell that the Unnamed Sister had tried to cast at him.

He could hear Katie screaming, and a glance told him she was on the ground, her hands on either side of her head as she was trapped in the same spell he was...Why was hers so much more violent?

Their foes stared in shock as they realized he had awoken from his trance, and he took the initiative, leaping forward to strike the Brother.

"H-How did you-" the boy attempted to say as he jumped out of the way, back to his sister's side.

"You messed up several details." the Gandalfr stated, grinning as he held his knife up. "One...Rose would never take care of Sheena, they hate each other. Two, you put the same couple in twice. Three, Sheena isn't that babylike. And the biggest thing…" As he rushed forward, his volume rose. "I thought Louise's summon was Dutch, not French! I didn't know the difference!"

"S-Such a stupid reason?!" the Sister said, before shouting as she fell to the ground, her wand skittering across the ground, and Katie's screams stopped just like that, the blonde sitting curled in a ball on the ground and staring blankly as David turned to the last remaining adversary.

The Brother stepped back, waving his hands in front of him. "W-Wait...If you can break out, then we can't put you back in! We can't defend against you any-" He shrieked as David ran at him. "I surrender!"

David blinked, stopping his advance as the remainder of the fog was cleared away by a current of wind. He hadn't even gone into the tunnel vision state this time, so he was fully aware as Guiteau appeared on the battlefield.

"And with that, the match is over!" the professor called, kneeling over to check Katie's state. "And while one of you is too affected by that combination to realize, she's going to be moving on to the second stage along with David!"

The Brother ran to his sibling, helping her to stand as he sighed, looking at the boy who'd beaten them. "We're not offensive mages. If our Flashback and Memory Alter spells don't work, then we're pretty much useless...Sorry I couldn't put up a bigger fight."

David blinked a few times, before smiling and holding his hand out in a fist to him, which he returned with a look of confusion. "I think that's the point of this whole tournament...It's to show that everyone has a different strategy. Against someone else, you'd be a perfect support role...What exactly do those spells do, anyway?"

As Katie was whisked away, the sister smiled and looked at him from where she was being held up. "They're mental magic, really high level elementless stuff that we've mastered...His Flashback can send someone's mind into a dream that copies their past, and my Memory Alter rewrites little discrepancies...it was my fault that you escaped, I guess...And once you know it exists, you can't be affected by Flashback anymore...It's our loss even if this idiot didn't surrender. We just don't have the ability to handle your speed and strength, that's why we were hoping to catch you off guard with our specialty…"

"You used the same tactic in your first round, didn't you?" The two nodded, and he laughed. "I was really worried about it, it seemed really dangerous...and I can see why someone else would get stuck inside the dream. If I was there too much longer I might have not realized it wasn't real."

"Well, you beat us...Good luck in the second stage."


	128. Embers

With Katie recuperating after their round ended, David sat alone to watch the next fight...or at least, he would be had there not been the two unnamed siblings sitting to either side of him, both grinning stupidly as he tried to focus straight ahead.

"...Why are you so close to me?" he asked, turning to the brother, who reached a hand to pat the Gandalfr's back.

"You beat us, fair and square. And now that you're getting into the second stage, we want to help protect you from anyone who might try to sabotage you!"

"Yeah, you can't expect Beatrice or Oliver to play completely clean, they might try something since you're still an unknown variable."

"...It's a school tournament, not a battle. There's no stakes." Even someone like Beatrice wouldn't make any bad decisions, and he had kept his head down out of her way for now. It helped that his runes were very straightforward and kept little hidden...People wouldn't have a reason to spy on him once they figured out he had no real secrets related to his fighting style.

He still wanted to win, but for now he would be able to go under the radar while he thought over the future fights. It was pretty much obvious who'd win the next two anyway, so he just had to worry about who would be fighting who in the second stage.

"Stakes or not, you should treat every battle as real. That's what Guiteau told us at the start, remember?" the sister said, lifting her wand to point at David's chin. "If I were a spy sent here by the Reconquista, I could swiftly deal with every potential threat in the class with one fell swoop if I had the skill."

The brother continued off her statement, nodding as she returned her wand to its pocket. "Our magic depends on deception and because of it we can't even tell people our names, or else it might not work anymore. Trust us, we know better than anyone how serious a simple school tournament can be."

David blinked as he listened to the two, before he became aware of a presence standing nearby, turning his gaze to the newcomer.

Ludwig, back again as he had before their battle, and as usual his face was split in his trademark smile, though whether it be from the recollection of his earlier conversation or the words said by the mages he'd just beaten, he felt like the expression was more faked than usual.

"Yo, nice job beating them!" he said, laughing as he sat down to the sister's other side, wrapping his arms around her shoulder as he'd done to David earlier. "You two did your best too, I wouldn't want to be pitted against either of you...Memory magic is something I don't know too much about, no pun intended. Is it elemental?"

With the three distracted, they didn't notice David shake his head instinctively to clear his mind as he felt the shadow of Casper's presence pass through him again. Oh, right, she had a similar spell that she used to wipe Louise's memory of the Albion incident...Perhaps memory magic wasn't as rare as he assumed.

The sister shook her head, evidently unbothered by the Germanian's unnecessarily close proximity to her. "No, it's elementless...There's not many elemental mages in the first year, you know. But we plan to get stronger next semester!"

Ludwig grinned at the statement, nodding happily. "Good, good! I bet you'll be super strong by the time we get familiars! Of course, I will be too!"

"I'm sure we all will be by then." David said, and Ludwig stared at him, laughing as he pointed the hand not around the sister to him.

"I'm expecting big things out of you, Gandalfr. I don't want to see you die until you've at least matched George de Milan's feats."

David smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head at the statement. "I don't think I'll be stopping a famine anytime soon. But I'll do my best."

"I'm still going to beat you here though." the boy said, and David's smile dropped at the tone, before Ludwig laughed again, waving as Frances passed by him on his way to the arena. "Good luck, Frances! Knock 'em dead!"

"Don't talk to me." the salutatorian said in irritation, notably more irritated than usual...Stress could get to anyone, even him, apparently. "And you, Gandalfr…" He looked down as he shuffled quickly past, making sure he was already looking away before finishing the statement. "Good job."

David blinked as the fire mage walked down to the arena, standing next to Kelly, who had already made it there. Frances was confusing, sometimes he was relatively nice and sometimes he went full snooty tsundere...He had no idea what to make of him.

Still, it was clear that, personality issues aside, Frances was leagues ahead of most of the earlier fighters, standing confidently with his wand drawn...did he actually plan to fight this time? Katie had said that he'd done nothing last round, but this time, Kelly was standing back out of his way as Guiteau waved his arms to either side.

"Let's get right into this one!" he called, cutting off the various conversations in the crowd, noticeably smaller than it had been the first day as many of the losers had left. "Carter de Sigil and George de Oberon, versus Kelly de Dulce and Frances de Erikson! Certainly this will be a fiery match!"

Frances' expression remained cool and focus while Kelly smirked. "It'll just be cinders, the fire's coming later." she said, before Guiteau grinned.

"That's the spirit! We are still early in the tournament, there's no sense revealing everything right away! Three! Two! One! Draw your wands!"

His disappearing wind clone was nothing special anymore as the fight began, more spectacular than the previous ones as the arena was encircled in flame, issued forth from Frances' wand...There didn't seem to be much of a reason behind it besides a display of power, but it seemed to work as his opponents each cast a Shield to defend themselves, though none of the fire actually directed towards them.

Frances' expression didn't change as Kelly grinned, rushing forward and casting her first spell, a Beam cast straight into the sky as she continued running forward, using the temporary blindness caused by the spell to make her way to the two.

They had anticipated the sensory deprivation, and while George was reeling back, his hands over his eyes in a silent scream of pain, Carter had closed his, and now that the spell had faded, he opened them again and pointed his wand at the sprinting girl. "Ray!"

"Sigel. Lagu. Æsc. Flame Wall." The same spell as the initial one he'd cast burst from Frances' wand, cutting between Carter and Kelly and interrupting the Ray with the fire, which was blown out but still managed to cancel the attack.

Kelly was his friend, and Frances was dangerous, so David paid more attention in this fight than the ones prior, knowing that this was an important one.

 _They're copying Beatrice and Gregory's strategy...Frances is just hiding his offensive spells behind Kelly's average magic, and he's only acting to benefit her…_

It seemed pointless to him, but he didn't doubt that Frances had a strategy other than the obvious. There was no way that he would copy an earlier plan even if it did work, and George was above average in class, though he wasn't anything particularly special according to Katie's notes.

Well, he'd just have to wait and see...and he had to trust that Kelly knew what she was doing too. Putting her in the same pair as the salutatorian couldn't have just been Guiteau randomly picking groups. He'd never seen her cast any spells before today, so maybe she was hiding something just like Ludwig.


	129. Carry Kelly

As the battle began in earnest, it became clear that Frances and Kelly had made a far stronger plan than many of the other fighters, with Kelly performing close-range spells while protected by Frances' Flame Wall as well as her own basic Shields...David knew that she possessed no elemental skills, but Shield was in itself a good enough substitute against other students who also didn't have the ability.

On the other hand, their opponents weren't nearly so well-coordinated, the two constantly running into each other in their efforts to flank the girl, while Frances simply held back from the action and threw up the wall of fire whenever necessary. The whole thing felt very similar to the previous Beatrice fight, really.

"What are you trying to do?!" Carter shouted, stopping in his tracks to avoid a Beam cast by his teammate, who shouted back from where he stood a few feet away.

"You got in my way! I'm handling offense, you support!" George called, and Carter growled as Kelly stood still, her gaze shifting between them as Frances sighed, touching his forehead with the fingers of his off hand.

"My magic's leaps and bounds ahead of yours, you support me! We already practiced earlier, stick to the plan!"

"I got a higher grade than you on the magic portion of our exams! I know how we can beat them!"

"I got a higher score in the practical though! You're good in theory, but I'm better in the field!"

David shook his head at the argument taking place, glancing over at Kelly, who stood still, her wand slightly lowered as she was unsure how to react to the situation playing out.

Frances, on the other hand, seemed to have gone through another odd personality shift, having to hold a hand to his mouth to cover the grin threatening to break past his stoic expression...the first time David could remember him cracking a smile since the conversation on cameras a while back. It was unsettling to say the least, despite it seeming to be genuine.

"The fight's already decided, don't you think?" stated the sister sitting next to him, and the brother nodded in thought as David looked to her direction.

"Yeah, they'll never get anywhere against Frances like-" He was cut off by the brother interrupting him, causing him to turn his head to the side.

"Kelly doesn't stand a chance." he said, much to David's surprise, but before he could question it, the boy held up a finger to silence him. "Trust us. We're not masters yet, but we can see deception when it's being used. Just watch."

Unsure whether he should believe them, he simply remained quiet, turning to watch the battle again...where the two boys had devolved to throwing Ray spells at each other, though both could easily block the others' slow attacks. Clearly despite their squabbling, they were both aware that _someone_ had to beat their foes.

Kelly, meanwhile, turned to face her partner, who collected himself, his expression switching back to his usual snooty half-smile as he simply shrugged.

"Should I...attack them?" she asked, and he simply shook his head.

"I don't know, do what you want. I'll defend you if you need it. Use your own judgement, I guess." It sounded like he was just looking down on their enemies, but David could tell that he as genuinely uncertain what to do...he imagined that Frances had never faced someone before who had such an unstable alliance.

She blinked, before turning to face them again, balancing on the balls of her feet while she pondered what to do...before raising her wand to face Carter. "Pul-"

"Don't get in our way! Nyd. Is. Hægl." Carter suddenly shouted, and the two both turned to her, George repeating the same runes as the two shouted the final word together. "Air Hammer!"

Kelly's eyes widened in surprise, and Frances started to cast his Flame Wall again, though from his vantage point in the seats, David could tell that he wouldn't have time as the air between the two and Kelly rippled towards the girl, whose reaction time was clearly too slow even as the attack had just begun to move. The Unnamed Siblings were right, he had underestimated them as gravely as Frances had miscalculated...and if he remembered correctly, Air Hammer was an incredibly powerful wind spell...weren't these two elementless though? How had they…

Never mind how they did it, he knew that if it hit the girl, she'd be more than just injured if it hit her square on, and his hand instinctively went for his knife, before it was stopped by Ludwig's, the valedictorian seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

The Gandalfr was about to complain, before he noticed the expression on the Germanian's face...and the fact that his own wand was out for the first time since he'd met the odd kid was terrifying even if he hadn't noticed the fire of rage in his eyes.

Ludwig was really and truly angry, and it made sense considering how close he and Kelly seemed to be as he started to chant. "Ing-"

"Air Hammer!" came the voice of their professor, who materialized just as the Air Hammer was about to hit the girl, who fell to the ground in shock as an equally powerful blast of air erupted from his wand, and to the surprise of the casters, their combination attack was totally negated, vanishing as if it had never happened...Though based on how the man stood tall, his eyes covered by his hair, which blew in the wind he was generating, they were not going to get off free even if their attack had missed.

Ludwig stared in silence, before sitting down heavily, and the sister coughed as the wind was knocked from her since he'd sat directly on her, seeming to have forgotten or simply not cared that she was sitting there, his wand retreating to his pocket, and David let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.

It hadn't quite registered until now, but seeing Ludwig letting out such a terrifying aura made it clear just how dangerous the kid the sister struggled to get off her was. If he had the motivation, and right now he clearly did, David's Gandalfr senses told him that he had the ability to kill any student here...maybe even a second-year. Whatever may have happened, it was definitely fortunate that Guiteau had appeared when he did.

As the teacher stepped forward, the two who'd cast the offending spell cowered, staring at the Square-class in what could only be described as abject terror...They knew exactly the gap between their wind magic...That Air Hammer had been pathetic compared to what he was capable of, and they knew full well that he had been holding back with that counterattack.

The air was tense as nobody spoke, while Frances ran to help Kelly stand, the girl wrapping an arm around his shoulder and letting him pick her up, her legs barely working from shock as the realization of what might have just happened hit her.

"You two…" Guiteau finally said, and the absolute calm in his voice, devoid of his usual happy demeanor, was even scarier than Ludwig's near-attack just before, and as he turned around to help Frances with making sure Kelly was alright, he spoke while looking away from the offenders. "I'll be speaking with your families about this. Go home. You're both disqualified, and are not permitted to stay for the summer."

The two remained still for several seconds, before looking at each other, and in a split second, they both turned and bolted out of the arena, passing through the invisible barrier of wind around the field...Which only served to remind the crowd that had Ludwig reacted, his attack may have only rebounded on them.

"Mister Reiner, come down here." the man said, and the boy jolted, quickly standing up, much to the sister's relief. "You are not in trouble, I would have reacted the same way. I just want to talk to you three for a second."

The Germanian blinked, and with clear hesitation, he jumped down the stairs into the barrier, walking to stand to Kelly's other side, helping Frances to hold her up. Their teacher leaned in to tell them something, and the two boys nodded, turning to walk away, still carrying her out of the arena, while he turned to face the observers.

"Everyone, let this serve as a lesson. I was forgiving today, but if I see any of you using a spell with such a high damage output as Air Hammer again, I will not be so lenient. This tournament is meant to serve to test your strength and skill, yes, but I will not tolerate my students beating each other to death. Still, this is a good opportunity to tell you something that I'm sure some of you have realized already...the reason why this year's tournament is so much more important than the ones before. Listen carefully."


	130. A Major Announcement

**A double upload today, just because I was too invested by the end of the last to stop for tonight!**

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The remaining audience were ordered to line up in the arena now, Katrina glancing at the exit worriedly every so often, unsure what to do about her partner, though her attention was diverted as Guiteau walked along the line, sighing before standing still in the middle, looking from side to side as he spoke to ensure he got everyone's attention.

"As I said, I was lenient today. Mister Sigil and Oberon had a good strategy, utilizing a mid-battle argument to confuse their opponents and team attack the weakest enemy. It was a good plan and one that I commend. However...perhaps I was not clear enough on the rules at the start of this tournament. When I meant that permanent injury was not allowed, I should have been far more specific on what that entailed...My intentions are not to breed cold blooded killers, but to give you children the chance to learn how to defend yourselves. I know all of you have heard this too many times, but power means nothing if you let it consume you. Understand that sometimes, the strongest person is the one able to hold back."

"That's quoting Ivaldi, isn't it?" Henri de Ollivander asked, and their teacher nodded, crossing his arms.

"Yes, it is. Even I appreciate Ivaldi's wisdom at times, though I don't feel that all of his legends should be a model to live by."

"What was it you wanted to tell us?" asked the boy next to Henri, who if David recalled was named Oliver de Henrikson...an odd coincidence, likely.

Guiteau nodded, turning his attention back to his conversation. "I do this tournament every year at the end of the first semester to gauge how my students may do next semester, when we start elemental magic...But this year, events outside of my control have somewhat changed the purpose. I'm sure all of you already know of the Reconquista and their involvement in Albion."

David's eyes narrowed, and while he didn't hear her voice, he felt Casper appearing within him, and this time, she actually stayed. Was Guiteau about to confirm the rumor of Henri's death?

When nobody spoke, the man continued. "Principal Osmond has made it clear that the academy wishes to remain neutral in the conflict, but depending on how events play out, Tristain may be joining the war by the end of the year. Therefore, it's my responsibility as a teacher and a mage to ensure that, while most of you are not ready for true war, you can at least hold your own in the case of an invasion. Those who have lost so far have been told about this already and are expected to help their hometowns gear up in the case of potential threats, and those of you who are still in the tournament will also be expected to do the same...barring special circumstances that some of you may have." Like not having family in this world, for example, though he didn't directly say that.

"So...You're testing our ability to survive?!" Katrina asked, stepping forward. "Isn't that against the academy's-" His stare caused her to close her mouth up and cut off her question, standing back in line.

"Of course it is something I'm not willing to do, and fortunately, as it stands, the chances of an actual threat don't appear to be likely...But you should all still be wary. Once the final battle of this round is over, we will be entering the second stage and you will be in one on one combat, but you should understand that this first stage was equally important. Many of you breezed through with overwhelming force or luck, but in a real battlefield, it is far more likely that you will be alone against multiple adversaries. Some of you are perfect for such a scenario, others are extremely lacking. This won't change the course of the tournament, but you should be aware that this is to be considered the door to the second semester...This week should demonstrate to you that from now on, things will not be so easy as they were this semester. Whether you win or lose, enter summer break knowing that you will have to get stronger, regardless of the course of the war."

"It seems that war is the same in any country. I'm sure you know better than anyone else here what I mean." Casper said into David's mind, and he sighed.

 _I wish I didn't, but at the same time, I'm glad I learned sooner rather than later...I'd hate to have this be my first realization of how bad the situation really is._

"..." She was silent for several seconds, and when she spoke at last, her tone had gone flat and unreadable. "You don't know anything."

With that, her presence vanished again, and he blinked a few times, calling to her in his mind, but as he received no answer, it was clear that she'd left again, meaning that he could only shift his attention back to Guiteau...he was worried for the "ghost", but he still trusted her. She probably simply still feared Guiteau's presence, especially now when he was making such a big announcement.

"Please, don't any of you take this to mean your lives are in danger. The academy and Tristain's military are ensuring the safety of everyone in the country. If war happens, you will be the last that it reaches. In any world, protecting the next generation is the top priority of adults."

The remark was clearly directed at David, who simply nodded to acknowledge that he agreed. No need for words, and he was pretty sure nobody wanted to hear him say anything considering his own role was somewhat understood.

They would be safe, but he would not. Being the familiar of a void mage meant he didn't have the same protection as they did...Though he didn't particularly mind. Casper didn't seem to agree, but he fully believed that while the academy could handle everyone else, he had the strength to protect Louise.

It was odd to have the pinkette immediately come to mind, but while he had no particularly strong feelings for her one way or the other, they were still close enough that she wasn't a stranger to him...and he _had_ been living with her for months now. The familiar bond didn't need to force him to want to protect her even if he didn't love her.

The fact that the runes didn't so much as light up at the slightly defiant thought made it clear that Gandalfr understood his motivation too. They'd serve him well when the time came.

He shook his head at the thought. He had no desire to fight a battle with real stakes again, not after the outcome of the last time. He didn't want another King Henri to happen.

"Has King Henri made any statements about the war?" the brother asked, and David cringed at the badly timed question. Guiteau's flinch was far better hidden, but at least to David, it was painfully obvious.

"No, he has not. The royal family are keeping information about the situation confidential. Principal Osmond will know more than me, he has high-level correspondence with Tristania. It's up to him what we find out is true." Or to the kid his eyes had turned to for a brief instant, disguised as him looking around at the other students.

David knew without needing to be told, the same as he had back when Count Thrak had come by the first time. New Divide would have to get in gear if he wanted to stay relevant on the game board, and he couldn't maintain his semi-intentional radio silence with Henrietta any longer. He'd focus on finishing the tournament now, but as soon as he was able, it was time to get back to work applying what he knew...And hoping that his foresight was still accurate. It would be disastrous if he was wrong about anything and dragged Tristain into unnecessary conflict.

"One last thing before I go check on Miss Dulce." the man stated, his hands twitching nervously. "After the final battle of the day ends, I want those moving on to the next round to think carefully on what they wish to do. If you are afraid of what may happen if you stay, you are free to forfeit your solo matches and go home early. After telling you such a major announcement as this, it is fully understandable if you do not wish to complete the tournament. I will be telling the same to Mister Erikson and Reiner, as well as Miss Huron, when they are ready to return." His expression shifted to his usual grin, masking the serious expression from before. "For now, please return to your seats and wait. We won't be stopping early today, I don't think our last competitors will be too happy to get postponed!"


	131. Rhythm

The students remaining were almost dead silent as they waited for the final fight to start, the challengers still sitting in their spots at the first row, and David and Frances both had obvious blank spaces next to them where their partners were supposed to be.

The Unnamed Siblings had elected to sit together away from the Gandalfr, possibly sensing his desire to be alone for now...He had a lot to think about after all, more than they knew. Meanwhile, Katrina was sitting almost a foot away from Ludwig, clearly afraid of the anger seething inside him. He no longer was putting up the front of pointless optimism, and regardless of whether that was his genuine resting state or not, right now there was no sign of the Ludwig that everyone was familiar with.

Seeing Kelly nearly hit by what would have been a devastating attack had clearly rekindled his desire to fight, and from the way Frances stared at the back of his head, the salutatorian was equally determined. The previous fight had changed everyone's outlook on the tournament even if Guiteau's speech afterwards hadn't driven the point home.

However it would turn out during the second round, the behavior of the students had changed dramatically, and now that they'd had it confirmed directly from their teacher that war may be coming, tension was only raised higher.

Said teacher was currently in the arena, using earth and wind magic to flatten sections of seating that were unnecessary with the shrunken number of the audience as well as repairing the damage taken over the last few days within the arena.

David was quiet as he watched the man, barely blinking in the small breeze created as a byproduct of the reordering. He'd have to fight more seriously too, he knew that, but for now he just wanted to calm himself down, and seeing magic used so skillfully, in a way far more graceful to watch than something like Tabitha's fighting style, was therapeutic for him. A brief glance around at the students he knew less told him that some were doing the same, psyching themselves up for the days to come or simply trying to ignore their troubles.

Then there was Beatrice, who despite what had happened still looked just as snooty as ever. Jerk.

Sadly, all good things come to and end, nd the wind died down as Guiteau finished setting the arena up, turning to face the four who would be in the last round. "Is everyone ready?" he asked, and Ludwig immediately stood up, followed with some hesitation by Katrina, and lastly, their competition followed suit, the four walking down to their places.

Henri had been built up throughout the tournament as a capable tracker, but his partner was unknown to David, who shook his head to clear his thoughts. He'd need to pay attention, and watching the fight would be a good distraction from his inner mind. No reason to get stuck on the future right now, he had to pay attention to the present.

"Ready, bro?" Oliver, Henri's partner, asked, and his friend nodded, facing Katrina, who stood in front of him...a couple steps farther back than Ludwig, whose expression had once again shifted to his usual happy demeanor, one that appeared so genuine that it was impossible to tell exactly what was going on in his head. Much like usual, come to think of it. He was always a wild card even before now after all.

"Ludwig-" Katrina said, and the boy raised a hand to cut her off.

"I know. I'll stick with the plan. There's no reason to snap just because I'm ticked off. Just do your part and don't worry about me, we have to pay careful attention to Henri."

The girl blinked, shifting before nodding. "R-Right...I'm sure Kelly's fine, there's no reason to really worry."

Oliver smiled as he stepped up, Guiteau remaining silent to let the group chat, and Ludwig looked at him, tilting his head slightly to acknowledge his presence. "It's nice to know there's no bad blood, I'd hate to have our fight messed up because of something like that…"

Ludwig's face lit into his trademark smile as he shook his head, raising his hands to the back of his neck. "No worries! I'm not interested in getting disqualified like them, I'm not the type of idiot who makes such a gamble. I'm the type of idiot who just forgets to hold a grudge!"

Not exactly the most inspirational thing he could have said, but it fit how David knew him, and from hiss eat nearby, Frances let a small smile break his expression, a tiny nod showing that he too approved of the statement. It was odd looking for approval from the boy notorious for looking down on everyone for not being as good with magic as he, but somehow it was comforting knowing that they shared the same viewpoint on the matter.

But that didn't matter. Right now, David had to go to work studying everything the fighters showed...Katie wasn't here right now to record her notes, so it was up to him to report to her on potentially the most dangerous pair in the entire tournament.

He wasn't really sure why he was so interested in telling her, they weren't allies anymore and having her know less than she could about this fight would benefit him in the second stage, but looking at Beatrice and remembering her cold rejection of Gregory at the end of their fight had set his decision in stone. He wasn't going to just abandon their partnership so quickly, even if they had only been teamed up for a couple days.

The competitors continued to talk back and forth for a few more moments before they turned to Guiteau, who nodded and stepped back, holding a fist to his mouth to clear his throat.

"Well then, now that everyone is ready…" he said, watching as Ludwig turned around to walk several paces away, almost to the edge of the arena, and turn back to face the group in what David assumed to be the same fashion as he had in the first round that he'd missed. "Three! Two! One! Draw your wands!"

Despite the disappearance of the wind clone, the arena was quiet as nobody moved an inch other than to draw their wands, though Ludwig had instead crossed his arms and loosened his stance to one that was more relaxed, suggesting that he knew exactly what he was doing...either he was a red herring or he was very confident in the plan they'd come up with.

The silence of the arena was broken as the valedictorian began humming, their enemies raising their wands cautiously as he did so, though as several seconds passed and nothing happened, it became clear that he was simply filling the silence. Evidently Katie wasn't stretching the truth when she'd told him that during their first battle, Ludwig had spent the entire time standing in a corner and humming to himself.

As time ticked, however, David's eyes widened as he recognized the tune, and this time, he knew where it had come from...It was that which he and Sylphid had sung together back when he introduced Ludwig and Kelly to her. Maybe it was something borne of this world and not his own, or maybe that was where Ludwig had learned it. Either way, it was oddly soothing coming from the middle of an arena, especially from someone so totally relaxed.

Henri, on the other hand, was not nearly so calmed by it, and he flicked his wand, his eyes narrowing as he chanted under his breath, his stance changing as Oliver geared up next to him.

"Careful. Watch Katrina, I'll tell you if he tries anything." the tracker stated, and his partner nodded, turning to look at the girl, who grinned and held her wand up.

"I'm your opponent!" she stated, raising her wand straight into the air. "Is. Feoh. Water Dome!" In the air above them, the sound of cracking could be heard, and from nothing came a sheet of clear liquid, evidently water based on the name of the spell.


	132. Clear Sight

So Katrina had elemental magic too. That left only Oliver without any known elements.

While Oliver rubbernecked at the sight of the water flowing around them, Henri kept his gaze focused only on Ludwig. David knew a little about his Clearsight spell from Katie, but now that he could see it actually being used in a combat situation, it was clear that she hadn't known much about how it worked. All he could recall from her notes was that it was some kind of fire magic and that based on the name, it enabled Henri to apparently track magic usage...or something like that. Her notes had been very confusing, and since it appeared to be a hard ability to observe properly, he doubted he'd be able to glean much from this battle. He just had to hope that he didn't have to fight against these two...though from Katie's prediction and Katrina's display of water magic, it was hard to tell who'd win from this early on.

He briefly thought of asking Casper if she knew anything, but quickly shook that thought off. Guiteau had made him promise not to use her after all, and besides, she probably wouldn't respond anyway. He'd have to watch and plan accordingly like everyone else. At this stage, he was the one at a disadvantage with his dependence on his runes and lack of any real magic, so he'd have to tread carefully.

By now, the dome had completely surrounded the three, while Ludwig remained outside, still humming to himself, off in his own world and evidently not paying the slightest bit of attention to the battle. The tune of his song was different now, but otherwise there was no indication that he was focused at all.

Meanwhile, Oliver crouched low to the ground, standing next to his partner, who remained motionless as he watched his target through the water dome. "She's dangerous...Henri, why don't we do Combo 3?" he asked, and the Clearsight user nodded, raising his wand to point at his partner without breaking his gaze.

"Mann. Lagu. Sigel." he chanted, and his partner grinned as the boy's fire appeared to move like a living thing, snaking through the air and wrapping around his closed fists as he changed position...a martial arts stance of some kind. "And please call it by its proper name, Oliver."

Oliver laughed as he stood facing Katrina, who watched the conversation quietly, her face flat as they talked. "I don't like to think of the crappy names I came up with as a kid. Seriously, we both inherited our parents' terrible naming conventions."

He jumped as a Beam issued from Katrina's wand, retaliating by throwing one of his flaming fists forward, which she dodged with a backwards jump, laughing as she regained her balance upon landing.

"I've never seen someone catch themselves on fire. Doesn't that hurt?" she asked, and Oliver nodded as he raised his fists up.

"Yes, a lot. But it's worth it, we're not going to underestimate you. We're here to win after all!"

She smiled, holding her wand out in a stance that caused Henri to turn his gaze to her wand, breaking his sight from Ludwig for a split second before returning to his post. "Oliver, she's going to cast an AoE attack. Watch yourself."

The girl laughed as she began to cast, a long string of words spoken too rapidly to hear particularly well even by the two close by her. "Water beats fire!" she stated, raising her wand into the air again. "Hailstorm!"

Like the Water Dome from before, her magic shot into the air, but this time, rather than spreading, it formed a cloud that stopped at the peak of the dome, rapidly growing along the top and darkening quickly.

Just as Henri had anticipated, as the name of the spell suggested, chunks of ice began falling from the cloud, pelting the ground and forming noticeable craters...though it was fairly obvious that Katrina was holding back on the size and speed that they moved at. No reason to immediately be disqualified like the last group did, and it was clear that she had no intention of using such underhanded means anyway.

Henri grit his teeth as he raised his wand into the air, not breaking his gaze this time. "Shield!" he shouted, the magic barrier forming above them to bounce the pellets away. "Oliver, don't worry about the hail, I'll handle it. Just hit her once and that should be enough!"

"Right!" his partner replied, and, trusting Henri's skill, he ran towards their opponent again, and Katrina grinned, standing still and watching him quickly approaching her.

She remained still as he stopped inches away from her, shouting aloud as he brought his fist in a horizontal motion aimed at her side, before his eye went wide as a rain of hail pelted him from the side, forcing him to abort the attack and defend himself as he jumped away.

"Henri, what are you doing?!" he called, and as he attempted another strike, the same thing happened, though this time it came from a different direction, sending him tumbling to the ground.

Katrina grinned down at him, her arms crossed and wand pointed out in one hand. "What's wrong? You knew what you were up against, you should know that shielding won't work against me!"

Henri growled as his partner looked up at him, the fire on his hands having been extinguished by the most recent volley. "She's directing the storm somehow...That's way higher level magic than anyone in the class has…"

Oliver shouted again as another round of hail swirled around, and despite Henri putting up another Shield, this time, the ice redirected around it, completely bypassing the magic and forcing Oliver to hold his hands up defensively as he was forced into the ground.

"Permanent damage is against the rules, you know!" Henri said, and he finally broke his gaze, his pupils shrinking and dilating in an effort to track her magic with the Clearsight spell.

Katrina laughed as she cut her attack short, though the hail continued falling around them, some bouncing off the edges of the Water Dome and hitting them anyway, though Katrina herself was conveniently missed by everything. Of course, Ludwig still remained outside the battlefield and completely safe.

" _Permanent_ injury isn't allowed, yes, and Ludwig would kill me if I messed that up, but there's no rules against hurting people...Everyone else has just been too afraid to break that rule and went for speed rather than damage output. I'm not so conservative, I'll do anything I can to make sure you can't fight back!"

~~~In the Audience~~~

By now, the storm was so dense and so loud that the audience could barely tell what was going on, so David had decided to just focus on watching Ludwig. Katie had hyped up the Germanian's power so much that it felt suspicious that he'd have done absolutely nothing by now, and the entire time, he hadn't so much as lifted a finger. Was he really that confident in Katrina's skill that he was going to just hide everything he was capable of until the second stage? Was he really going to spend this entire fight off in his own world? He wasn't even looking at the battle going on for Founder's sake!

The Gandalfr inwardly cringed as he realized that he'd used the Founder's name rather than his own world's God, but it wasn't like he believed in either, and the saying "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" came to mind. Still, something about the situation really bothered him for some reason, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Maybe it was that Katrina was not supposed to be nearly this strong, maybe it was just the stress of being so totally unaware of what Ludwig was capable of.

It was still weird thinking about Ludwig as anything but the carefree optimist he usually was, but even in the way he stood, despite being fully relaxed, it was obvious to anyone that he was in no way the same as a week ago. This Ludwig knew exactly what he was doing, even if no one else could fathom what was going on in his head. Maybe it was bias from being a natural fighter himself, but David knew that he had a plan in mind.

By the time the storm faded away and the dome of water popped, it was clear what the result of said plan was...Henri's Clearsight had proven useless, and whatever strategy he and Oliver had used had failed as his partner lay unconscious on the ground, while Henri himself was on his hands and knees, staring down at the ground with Katrina standing above them, her wand pointed at his head, her face twisted to a frown.

"You're not as strong as I was hoping." she stated, and Henri laughed, keeping his stare firmly fixed on the ground below him.

"I'm a support mage, and I'm not stupid. I know when I'm up against overwhelming power. Whatever you've been hiding, I wouldn't have lasted two seconds if you were serious."

Poor Henri, his tone sounded completely defeated, even though he looked unharmed save for a few bruises from hail pelting his body.

That was how the first stage finally ended. At least to the audience, it wasn't with a climactic and epic fight, but the simple quiet surrender of a mage who knew he'd met his match.


	133. Return of The Passion

**Sorry for the delay, my normal writing spot was unavailable until now. At least it happened after the first stage and not halfway through a fight!**

* * *

Perhaps sensing that nobody was really in the mood for celebration, Guiteau had made his announcement that the first stage had ended mercifully short, sending the remaining class off as the school day officially ended. As expected, Oliver was quickly sent to be healed after the fight, Katrina's attacks far more brutal than any performed before, though from how Guiteau wasn't overly gentle with him it was clear that he'd heal perfectly fine. Katrina had broken no rules, and that was a big deal considering the outcome of the previous match.

In any case, that was only something David thought of passively, knowing that he'd probably see Oliver and Henri soon anyway. He made a mental note to not mention the fight, such a devastating defeat probably had dealt a blow to the Clearsight mage's pride and he had no idea how Oliver felt about losing so drastically. Besides, he wasn't really friends with either of them so it would just be weird to approach them about it.

He broke from his thoughts as he became aware of Frances speeding up his pace in order to walk alongside him, blinking at the boy, who didn't bother to so much as turn his gaze away from the path in front of them.

"You're going to the infirmary, right?" the salutatorian asked, answering the unspoken question. "To make sure Katie is okay."

Another personality change, a softer tone than he usually had, albeit still just as ambiguous as he ever was. "Yeah, and I wanted to check on Kelly too."

Not even a twitch to signal any sort of response. "She's fine, she wasn't actually hit. She just passed out from shock, if the battle had kept going then she'd be fine."

"I've never heard you talk so positively before." David said curiously, and a small curl at the corner of Frances' mouth betrayed his amusement at the statement.

"I am confident in my partner. She'll do well in the second stage, even without me carrying her. That said, if we get matched against each other, I will not be light. I'm sure you are the same with Katie."

They fell into silence as they walked together, no more needing to be said. The brief insight into the mystery that was Frances' thought process was enough to fill some of David's curiosity, and he knew the boy would drop dead before asking him any questions that weren't completely necessary. Besides, they were technically rivals, even though the second stage wouldn't be starting until tomorrow.

Because there wasn't anything to say, David let himself be lost in his thoughts, the walk to the infirmary somewhat familiar since he'd gone this path a couple times before, and the academy was laid out so simply that he could basically go anywhere mindlessly.

Everyone was a lot more serious now than they had been before today. Though Carter and George had chosen a bad plan for their fight, they had undoubtedly sparked a change in the remaining class, enough that Guiteau had fully revealed the true danger they were actually in. War was coming, no matter how much the professor had tried to say it was unlikely. That meant that the ones moving on to the second stage had an added weight on their shoulders: They had to prove that they were strong enough to fight in a real battle.

David had already seen actual combat, but he seriously doubted that the rest of the class had, except maybe a couple...and based on how strongly she reacted to the Unnamed Siblings' strategy, he had a feeling Katie was one of them. Just one of the questions he had for her when he saw her again.

As they entered the infirmary, he shook off his thoughts and watched as Frances split off from him, quickly making his way to Kelly, who was sitting up in one of the beds, evidently perfectly fine. David smiled at the sight, before making his way around the other students there towards Katie...The room was busier than usual, the other grade levels also having exams so it made sense that some other injuries would have happened. It was still odd to him that the non-critical injuries were all handled in the same room, but he had to remind himself that this world was centuries behind his own. Even with some things modernized, others were still back in the medieval era. At least their medicine seemed pretty much standard, as far as he knew at least.

His smile fell as he made his way to Katie, whose eyes were closed, her face twitching occasionally as a nurse watched from nearby.

"Is she okay?" he asked, and the nurse shrugged, not particularly worried but still carefully watching the unconscious first-year.

"She hasn't woken since she came in, but there's nothing wrong with her. Mental magic tends to have minor symptoms like muscular spasms and heavy fatigue. She'll be fine once she's slept for another few hours."

He nodded and turned his head to look at her again. It was odd, seeing Katie like this, but winning that fight meant that she'd be fine. He didn't really want to think of what would happen if he'd lost and she was kept under the spells' effects longer.

The war announcement would probably be coming a lot sooner if that had happened.

Still, there was no reason worrying about alternate possibilities, this was in itself an alternate universe anyway. No point in concerning himself with other branches, what has happened is permanent now.

Since she was sleeping, he didn't need to stay here. Checking on her was all he intended to do after all, so now that that was done, he could move on to Kelly, who seemed much more active right now.

As he weaved through the beds, some filled but most empty, he blinked as he found himself stopped by a hand grabbing his arm, and he turned around to the grinning face of Kirche von Zerbst, who wore a loose-fitting hospital gown rather than her usual uniform.

"Didn't even say hi? I'm hurt!" she said, laughing as he blinked a few times. "But I get it, you were looking for someone else, and you tend to zero in on your target and ignore everything else."

"...Been a while, Kirche." he said, relaxing his pose to stand next to her, and she let go of his arm, shifting to rest her hand in her lap. "Didn't think you of all people would end up here after exams."

Her grin didn't falter in the slightest as she waved her other hand idly in the air. "Fire magic is tricky, even the most experienced Triangle-class mages occasionally end up backfiring. I told the nurses that it was just a little burn, but they made me sit here and rest until tomorrow!"

...That seemed serious, especially considering how strong he knew she could be despite her only being a Line-class, but here she was, as optimistic as ever. It was weird seeing her again, the last time they'd talked was back before he went to Albion. "What happened? You don't seem like the kind of person to get hurt by your own magic."

She raised her head to the ceiling, eyes closed in a position whose purpose no one but her could guess the reason for. "If I were poetic, I'd say that my passion went out of my control! But I'm not, and I never liked poetry, so I'll just say that I messed up. Everyone makes mistakes, and hey, even if I did get sent here, I still passed! Mrs. Chevreuse told me that my fire has only gotten stronger since the year began!"

Right, the second-years were also getting stronger as the weeks went by. He'd almost forgotten about a lot of them after spending so long now focusing on his classes, and Louise wasn't very talkative about their exams. "Well, I'm going to catch up to you!" he said, grinning and crossing his arms. "I don't know if I'll be able to throw fireballs or anything, but I'll make do with what I have!"

She tilted her head at his wording, before laughing again, copying his arm crossing, though naturally with her it only succeeded in making her seem like she was trying to awkwardly seduce him again with the thin clothing she wore. Still, he knew it wasn't intentional now, she'd completely backed off since Gallia, and he was much better at ignoring the small details about her...some people just passively acted a little strange after all.

"If we ever duel, I won't lose to you!" she said, grinning. "I'm not like Guiche, I'm really careful with how much power I use, and I know your weakness is fire!"

He laughed, shifting where he stood and nodding at her declaration. "I've got my own new tricks too, don't be so confident! By the time we fight, we'll both be a lot stronger!"


	134. Absolutely Nothing Important

**My computer has finally been fixed!**

* * *

"Well, you better go check on whoever caught your attention." the fire mage stated, smiling before laying back down on the bed. "I'll be fine...but once I get released, you better tell me what's been going on in your exams. I want every detail of how your tournament fights have gone, I remember mine like it was yesterday!"

He laughed, waving to her as he continued on his path to Kelly. Though they had only recently become officially friends, seeing Kirche around had put him in a much better mood, and he could almost let himself forget about all the impending problems surrounding him. It certainly helped his smile become genuine as he fell into line next to Frances, who glanced at him as he waved to the bedridden girl.

"You okay?" he asked, and Kelly nodded, holding her arms above her head to stretch before sitting normally again.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just fainted from surprise, it's not like I took any injuries. Frances told me what happened...I feel bad for those two."

"They broke a rule, sympathy is pointless." Frances stated, and she giggled. Odd, they may be partners, but David hadn't realized they were familiar with each other.

"You've always been like that. You and Ludwig are polar opposites, aren't you?" she asked, and the boy growled at the name.

"Don't compare me to him. You know I hate that. He's his own person, and I am mine. Comparison just causes confusion." So he had chosen an oddly formal tone this time. The Gandalfr briefly pondered what his next mood swing would be, but for now, it was nice having him somewhat reasonable.

"Are you three good friends?" he asked, and the two looked at him, Katie with a smile and Frances with a frown.

"Since childhood, unfortunately." Frances stated as Kelly laughed, shaking her head.

"Don't be like that, you and he aren't that against each other. You just have different paths is all! I'm sure once we're in second year, that rivalry will go away!"

"Men have rivals, that'll never change." Frances replied, turning to David. "I bet you do too, don't you? I mean, you could hardly call me or Ludwig your rival since we're both far beyond you in terms of power."

A minor burn, but easily shrugged off. "Yeah, I do. Guiche de Gramont, in second year. We spar every so often to keep our swordsmanship sharp. But I've seen girls with even fiercer rivalries than any guy, it's not a boy thing. People like having competition."

"You know second year students?" Kelly asked, tilting her head. "I only know Montmorency, I've never met anyone else…"

"Well, I _am_ the familiar of one. Before I started classes, I was mostly hanging around the second years. Haven't really talked to Montmorency though...She's Guiche's girlfriend, but she never really is around him whenever we talk. What's she like?"

Kelly looked up in thought, before nodding as she decided what to say. "She's social and popular, and she's got a whole network of friends in every grade level. I guess the best way to describe her is to say that if you want something to be spread, you have to get to her at some point."

So the typical gossip girl, he'd assumed that was just a fiction trope. At least from the minimal interactions he'd had with her, she seemed reasonable...then again, the last time he'd even seen her was when he fought Guiche the first time, and she was understandably annoyed at the time. Funny, now that he thought about it, Kelly was a part of that whole issue.

"What about Guiche?" she asked, and he blinked. "I haven't seen him since I cut ties, is he still an annoying playboy?"

He laughed as Frances remained quiet, watching them with a thoughtful expression. "From what I recall, you got swept up with him too." he replied, and she shifted where she sat out of embarrassment. "Well, he's trying to get past that now. I haven't really asked, but I'm sure he's repaired things with Montmorency by now. He's really not all that bad when he tries to be sincere."

"I wouldn't imaging that General Gramont would allow his son to be raised a weakling." Frances stated, shaking his head. "So I'm sure that he is a decent person. The Gramont family are known for being particularly understanding."

"...Really? I assumed they were all the usual arrogant noble type. He seemed pretty set on insulting me when we first met."

"Did he ever mention your status?" Kelly asked, going quiet as she waited for his answer. A simple question, but one that David had to genuinely think about for several seconds before he could respond.

"...He...Well, he did call me a 'mere commoner', but...I don't think he meant it like someone like Louise would."

Kelly nodded, seemingly satisfied at the reply. "He was probably taught that commoners are weaker than nobles, and even though it's just arrogance to use that as an insult, it _is_ true that generally, nobles are stronger."

"A common mistake nobles make, nonetheless. Nine out of ten commoners are pushovers, but the others are people like Agnes de Milan or you." He narrowed his eyes at David's stare. "What?"

"Just...Didn't expect you to put me in the same sentence as Agnes." he said, and Frances' eyes briefly widened before going back to his normal flat expression.

"I'm not fond of swordsmen, but you yourself are not a particularly bad person. The part I hate about you is your runes, not your personality. And I am not so blind that I would put you aside as unimportant, I'm very aware that, while you are fairly average now, you will eventually be a force to be reckoned with. As a child of the Erikson family, I'm curious to see what you'll become, and my judgement tells me that you are worth being compared to a Chevalier."

The oddly sincere compliment, despite spoken with almost no change in tone, still blindsighted the Gandalfr, who took a step back in surprise. It only made it more surprising since evidently, the remaining royal family felt the same way...or at least, believed that he'd be a good backup for in case the upcoming war required more people within the rank.

"Well, you two shouldn't be here talking to me!" Kelly said, completely changing the subject. "I'll be out by nightfall, you two should prepare for tomorrow. We're all entering the next stage after all!"

Frances nodded, accepting the change in conversation as he stood up, stretching his arms above his head and turning to head out. "Let us hope we all have a good fight tomorrow. Who knows what pairings Guiteau decided to make."

"And if any of us get paired against each other, let the best one win!" David replied, and Kelly laughed as the two boys walked away.


	135. Twin Moons and Creationism

**If any of you are readers of my older series, Evil Eye, then please check the latest chapter of either the original or the sequel for an important announcement. Thank you.**

* * *

David walked into Louise's dorm, raising his hand to run along the back of the crow that landed on his shoulder. While she didn't really have much of a presence anymore after being around long enough for him to get used to her, Nevermore still never missed a chance to be near him whenever he was around...It was nice to think that the bird still enjoyed being around him, though he still had no clue what purpose Sheffield had in sending the crow. It wasn't like Nevermore had witnessed anything particularly unusual since coming here.

The Gandalfr sat down heavily on his couch, sighing as he leaned back, the crow adjusting her position on his shoulder to account for his movement. "I'm exhausted…" he said, turning his head to the void mage, who hadn't even looked away from her book when he came in. "How was your exam? I saw Kirche got injured."

"It was boring. Just elementless magic, the super basic stuff. I finished hours ago." she replied, shrugging. "I've been back here since lunch since I was one of the first to finish. I'm guessing Mrs. Chevreuse didn't want to test my elemental magic, I'm still not quite able to control Explosion yet."

He laughed at the comment, nodding as he thought over the spell. "It's an overpowered ability, but it's hard to use I bet. You'll get the hang of it though, you've had a while since you found out about your void to figure things out."

She closed her book and sat up, tossing it to him, and he raised a hand to catch it, having expected the motion. Looking at the cover, it was the Ivaldi book he'd been using to practice his reading comprehension. "Yeah, it's strong, but it's also annoying that I can't use any other spells. It's a pretty poor mage who focuses on one thing and ignores everything else. I'd much rather have fire, or even earth. Earth is my affinity, you know."

He blinked, surprised by the statement as he lowered the book to look at her. "Isn't void your affinity?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"Nobody's affinity is void, even Brimir. Affinity is a personal thing that doesn't have anything to do with magic. I don't really know how to explain it, it's just something my mother told me once, and she said mine is earth."

"Don't you hate your mother?" he asked, confused, and she sighed, her shoulders relaxing sadly at the thought of Karin de la Valliere.

"Of course I do, but she's still a Square-class mage and a former Chevalier. Just because she considers me worthless doesn't mean she'd lie to me. You've never met her, you don't know how she is."

"I don't think I really want to. I doubt she'd like me being around you, I'm a bad influence." he said, and she laughed.

"No, but you're a maverick and she hates people who don't follow rules. I don't think she'd really care that you're barely under my control, she probably expects that of me anyway."

Oddly, there was no pain from his runes despite the statement of disobedience, but he passed it off as simply a minor enough statement that Gandalfr didn't mind. "She probably wouldn't mind if she knew I know Henrietta."

"That may be a shock to anyone in our generation, but she wouldn't be impressed. She was Queen Marianne's Chevalier after all, to her being familiar with the royal family is not a big deal. You'd have to try harder than that to impress her...and since you can't even use magic other than Unlock, I don't think she'd appreciate you."

He shrugged as he opened the book to read, having lost interest in the conversation. "Derf, you've been unusually quiet. What, have you missed your master?" he asked the sword as he started to read, and a laugh came from the blade as it popped the froglike guard from the sheath.

"Nah, Partner, just not interested in whatever you're talking about. When you're from a generation as long ago as me, everyone's just a bunch of children squabbling with each other."

"That's a little mean, isn't it? I think even if I were 6,000 years old, I'd at least give people the time of day. You certainly seem keen on learning about my world."

"Well, that's different. Anyone regardless of age would be interested if you told them you were from a completely different era, and had the description to back up the claim. Would you not be curious if you were told that someone had seen your planet from its moon?"

David laughed at the sword's choice of example. "Actually...There have been people who walked on our moon. I think twelve of them, to be exact. Been a long time since anyone's been sent up there though, and I've never personally met any of them."

"..." Louise stared at him, blinking a few times. "...Okay, it's fine to believe that your world only has one moon, but how would anyone be able to actually reach it? Isn't it miles up?"

"More than that, it's thousands of miles away. Space is bigger than it seems. But science is advanced in my world, if we really wanted to we probably could go there again, but there's not much to do there except collect rocks. There's no atmosphere, so nobody can live there without special suits."

"...Your world is more and more confusing the more I learn about it." the void mage stated, falling back to lie sideways across her bed and staring at the ceiling. "I want to walk on a moon…"

"What is up with your moons anyway? I've asked before but people just get antsy and ignore me."

"You shouldn't pry with that subject. I'm not as devout as to hate talking about it, but the moons are tied to Brimirism. It's considered heretical to request information about them...Any research on them is Romalia's exclusive right."

"Why would that be? I doubt your moons are any different from mine...Colors aside, they're just giant rocks in space. There's nothing actually mystical about them."

"Of course not, everyone knows that. But the colors are important...Blue signifies tranquility, and red means motion. It's a common theme in Brimirism, those together make everything in existence. It's why the Primogenitor is always depicted with double-colored eyes."

"Really? I guess that makes sense, though all the depictions I've seen were black and white drawings in books. Then again, creationism isn't something I know much about, so I guess I can't argue much about it."

"That's why it confuses me so much that you are able to not believe in any god. Everything in this world is so perfectly laid out, there's no way it couldn't have been designed...Even though there's good and bad, it's all the same in the eyes of a deity, right?"

"Careful speaking about deities around me." Derf stated, in an unnaturally cautious tone that caught the attention of both mages. "Good and bad mean little to me, but being wielded by all kinds of people over the years has taught me that the only thing you can really trust is yourself and the one you call master. Even then...Sometimes you can't even believe in your own ideals."


	136. Siesta's Panic

**Getting ready for the Evil Eye revival has taken up more time than expected, so I haven't had a chance to write much here, but I wanted to at least get a chapter up on my birthday, so here it is!**

* * *

It was nice to simply relax and chatter about mindless topics with Louise, they never really had taken the time to talk much except when it was necessary. Now, when they had nothing in particular to do and no major subjects to discuss, they could simply focus on idle small talk in between his reading the book aloud. He had definitely gotten better now, and though he still sometimes struggled with certain words, for the most part he was fluent. It helped that Albionian, which shared the same root as Tristainian, was so close to his own language.

He still had yet to ask about what exactly the spell she'd hit him with so long ago did, but so far it had never given him trouble so he didn't really worry much about it. Having the ability to understand and speak any spoken language could only be useful.

In their menial conversation, he actually did learn more about the mage...Last year, despite wanting to avoid being in the tournament, she'd been forced by Guiteau to join solo, as there had been an odd number of students and her magic was understandably dangerous for all involved.

Still, somehow she'd made it to the second stage simply by using elementless magic, which even back then she was a prodigy at using...before knocking herself unconscious trying to use an earth spell against Kirche. Being honest, though he didn't say it, that had been exactly what David had assumed would have happened.

"Is that why you and she are rivals?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"Our families have been rivals for at least 200 years, it's only natural we would be too. It's not like we personally hate each other...and she's stopped teasing me since the whole Fouquet thing happened."

"She's not that bad, we became friends when I went to Gallia." he stated, and he didn't need to look at her to know she was glaring at him. "Not in the way you're thinking, I'd drop dead before doing anything like that. Just friends. I talked to her when I was checking on my tournament partner too-"

He was cut off by the door to the room suddenly thudding, and groan coming from outside as the knob turned, and an embarrassed Siesta poked her head in, laughing hesitantly as she stepped inside. "S-Sorry…" she said, rubbing her head as the two stared at her. "Just, I came to…" She trailed off as she noticed David sitting next to where she stood, blinking a few times before stepping back as her face shifted into a look of confusion. "Uhh…"

"You don't normally barge in here, is there an emergency?" Louise asked, keeping her tone level, though it was clear she still held some animosity towards the maid, who continued standing in silence for several seconds before blinking again, shaking her head to clear her thoughts.

"N-No, just...David, I heard you got injured so…"

David raised an eyebrow, lowering the book so he could talk directly to her. "No, I'm fine...My partner got hurt though. She's recovering now. I didn't get a scratch on me though."

Siesta stared at him, seemingly surprised by the statement. "But, Miss Huron was…" She fell quiet again, before sighing, leaning back on the door and holding a hand to her forehead. "Sorry, I must have gotten confused…"

"You're pretty overworked, aren't you?" David asked. "I'd imagine the staff have a lot on their plate right now, with all the tests going on."

"Y-Yeah, really...I've been back and forth all day, I only just now was able to get away to come here. Still, I was sure it was you who got hurt…" She blinked, before shaking her head, tapping her cheeks with the palms of her hands. "No! I don't mean it like that! I know you're strong, I just.."

"You were worried." Louise stated, interrupting her. "That's fair, I can't deny that David's gotten himself into some bad situations before. If I could do anything about it I'd stop him."

David laughed at the comment, shifting to sit on the couch to give Siesta room to sit down next to him, a motion which Louise only outwardly reacted to with a short glare. "But I always get out of them, don't I?"

Derf popped out again to reply. "You've usually had me in hand, Partner, and without me, you're a lot more limited. I've had too many masters who fell because they were overconfident and thought they could fight without me. I don't want you to-"

"Derf, I know. You don't need to worry, I'm a lot smarter than a lot of the previous holders you've told me about. If I don't have you with me, I keep my head out of trouble. That's a good compromise, right?"

The sword remained silent, and Siesta smiled at him. "You shouldn't argue with Derflinger, David. It's much older and wiser than any of us after all."

The sword laughed at the compliment, clicking the metal guard against itself a few times before speaking. "The maid understands. I'm an ancient weapon, and while I may not remember a whole lot of the things I've seen, I still have picked up on some very important lessons...You are one of the few partners I've had who would understand them, but you are still green and have a long way to go before you unlock your true potential."

David nodded to the sword, reaching his arm around the couch so he could grab the sheath, pulling the sword out with his other hand and holding it in the air to look at the blade. "I know I'm still an amateur. I had to depend on my runes in my first fight of the tournament, and I'm nowhere near the level of a Triangle-class mage. That whole thing with Fouquet was just luck that she didn't know what the RPG does. I can't call myself competent until I've at least developed enough to match someone like that without using trickery."

"Don't aim so high." Louise said with a deadpan tone. "Dot and Line-class mages are all well and good, but Triangle-classes are exponentially stronger. Square is even stronger still, but Square-class is practically a legendary trait now. There's only a handful of them alive. Triangles are more common, but...Without magic, I don't know what you can do against them. I don't even know how you managed to kill Fouquet so quickly, her earth magic was renowned for its power."

"A mage is only as good as their magic." he stated calmly, looking over Derf's blade. "Agnes is a good example of how you don't need magic to be strong...I don't doubt she can defeat a Triangle-class if she wanted to, and she doesn't have the natural advantage I do. A swordsman wields the sword, not the other way around...But a mage has to work around their limits, they can't cross them."

"Even my stupidest partners have been able to best enemies much stronger than them." Derf stated proudly, continuing off David's statement. "Though many of those also fell to far weaker ones...Have I mentioned-"

"Yes, you've mentioned Gunther Bloodborne. Several times. He's no more interesting the tenth time than the first." David answered, cutting the sword off. "Was he even a Valliere? He'd have had to be, right?"

"I don't even know, Partner. He was only with me for a couple months and never shut up, so I stopped paying attention to him quickly. It was obvious from the start he was a moron."


	137. Sparring with Company

"Well, I'd better get going now." David said, sheathing the sword and standing up. "Don't want to leave Guiche waiting, after all…"

"Don't hurt yourself, you'll have to get serious starting tomorrow." Louise stated, and he nodded as he set Derf's sheath on his back.

"Yeah, which is why I've got to train as hard as I can. Whoever I fight, they'll be serious too." His sword hummed in agreement as he turned to leave, before stopping as Siesta quickly stood up too, an unreadable expression on her face.

"You should skip sparring today." she stated, her tone suddenly firmer than before, and he blinked in surprise, though Louise simply went back to reading. Siesta may not be known for having any particularly notable buttons, but that didn't mean the pinkette had to care when one got pressed.

"Why? Guiche isn't a very strong fighter, and-" he was cut off by her shaking her head.

"It's just...I was sure you got hurt last round, so...I don't like the thought of you putting yourself at risk right before you go against more dangerous people…"

He blinked a couple times, before laughing and opening the door to leave. "You don't need to worry so much, Sasaki-chan. I'm strong, and I won't mess up against him of all people. You saw when we duelled before, and he's not gotten all that much stronger since then...Plus we don't use magic when we spar."

She stood still, staring at him for several seconds before sighing. "Fine, just...let me go too. I want to watch to make sure." Her tone made it clear she wouldn't take no for an answer, even if Louise directly ordered her to stop bothering him...which the void mage didn't, simply looking to the side over her book.

"Just go already. But if he gets himself hurt somehow, it's on you, not me." she stated, and Siesta grinned as David shook his head, relenting to the maid, who walked up next to him as the two left the room, closing the door on the now-lone Louise.

"You can be pretty stubborn sometimes." he said as they walked down the stairway, and she laughed, following close behind.

"I get it from you." she replied, crinkling her eyes in a smile. "After all, a commoner learns to mimic their king."

"I have no idea how to respond to that." he admitted, and she laughed again, waving it off.

"Just a reference to something I read once."

"An Ivaldi story?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"Probably. I don't really remember which one specifically."

~~~At the Training Field~~~

"..." The two sparring partners stared at the other's companion, both equally surprised that they'd decided to bring someone along. Meanwhile, Siesta and Montmorency seemed fine with each other being there, choosing to sit down at the stands next to each other...Both seemed to have the same idea as they chose to sit uncomfortably close together, mostly silent as the two boys turned to face each other again.

"So you brought Montmorency, huh?" David asked, and Guiche nodded.

"I I got kind of scuffed up during exams today from Kirche blasting fire everywhere. It's easy to forget how strong she really is until she loses control...Anyway, Montmorency wanted to make sure you didn't mess me up any further. Same with your friend I'm guessing?"

The fact that Guiche had only done a cursory glance at Siesta, who even David had to admit was fairly attractive, worked wonders to show how much he'd improved. No wonder he seemed to have a better relationship with Montmorency nowadays.

"Yeah, she thought I got hurt in my last round today and wanted to make sure you didn't knock me out or something before the second stage."

"So I'm guessing that means you passed?" he asked, grinning as David nodded. "Nice! I figured you'd get through though. Was it easy?"

He shrugged, pulling Derf out of its sheath as Guiche did the same with his own sword, still pristine despite going up against the void blade so many times. "Kind of, but Katie was out of commission afterwards. I don't really know exactly what it was all about, but I think I have to thank my boring life on Earth for it."

The confused expression on Guiche's face was funny to see, but it vanished quickly as he grinned, holding up the sword and nodding. "Anyway, since you're on to the next stage, we have to test if you're ready, don't we? How about we add a little more danger to our usual sparring?"

The Gandalfr raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. "Oh? What, you want me to kick your butt when you try to use magic again?" At the suggestion, he saw his runes glow on his hand with his peripheral vision, and he briefly turned to check Siesta's reaction...She seemed antsy, but she didn't speak against the suggestion. Odd, considering how insistent she'd been on him not coming today for that exact reason.

"Hey, I've gotten some new skills since then! I've had to train too, you know...And second-years are a lot better opponents than ones who don't even know elemental magic. I've improved a lot!"

"He really has." Montmorency stated, and the others turned to her as she grinned, crossing her arms and looking at her boyfriend with a proud expression. "You should have seen him during testing, he's even managed to develop a weak wind element!"

The earth mage seemed pleased at the praise, gushing where he stood and holding his sword up pridefully at the revelation. "That's right! All that time watching Tabitha's training and I finally got the hang of basic wind magic...I'm not great at it yet, but I still can use it with my earth now!"

"Oh, really?" David asked, getting into a stance and narrowing his eyes. "I don't have an element yet, but I still doubt I need magic to beat you!"

Montmorency grinned at Siesta, who leaned back in her seat, a worried expression on her face as she turned to the blonde. "Are you sure this is a good idea…?" she asked, and Montmorency shook her head.

"It's fine. If anything, now it's more even. Guiche has had issues with maintaining his magic, so having wind as a new element will really help balance him. Wind magic takes up less energy than earth, so he's more balanced now…"

"Wow, I didn't know you were so knowledgeable, Miss…" Siesta said, and Montmorency smiled.

"Both my given and surname are Montmorency, so don't worry about the whole appellation thing. Are you a staff member?"

Siesta blinked as the two boys started sparring behind them, the part-Japanese girl now more interested in this rarely-seen noble. "I've never heard anyone besides David call us staff rather than servants…"

"I was raised to be more respectful than that. Commoner staff do important work, they shouldn't be ignored just because you're not in class or using magic all the time. I mean, look at these two. They get it too, magic isn't the only thing necessary to be a good fighter...and you don't even necessarily need to be good at combat to be helpful."

"Do you have many serv-staff at your estate?" Siesta asked, and she laughed, evidently finding the statement exceedingly funny.

"My family aren't influential enough to get an estate or anything. And we pay our staff, and they're free to go if they want to. It's all pretty equal, really...I wish everywhere was like that." She sighed, before shaking her head. "But, it takes effort to change the world, so for now, I'm content just sitting back, learning the ropes, and watching my boyfriend get knocked unconscious."

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side!" Guiche called as the two boys clashed.


	138. The Second Stage

**For those interested, I have a note way back on chapter 1 now.**

* * *

The roof of the pathway David walked on didn't help very much against the nearly horizontal rainfall, so he wore his hood up over his head and held an umbrella sideways against the water. The storm had been sudden the day before, forcing the friends to cut off their sparring session, and it had continued on through the night. There weren't many storms near the academy, but this, the first major one that had happened since he came here, was a serious one.

He sighed in relief as he entered the tower, closing the door behind him and shaking the umbrella off before closing it, pushing the door to the classroom open and heading inside.

There weren't many people here anymore, most having already gone home since they had no reason to be here after losing, though he did notice the Unnamed Siblings still hanging around, attempting to wake a sleeping Ludwig, who lay passed out at his desk while Kelly simply ignored him, waving to the Gandalfr as he grinned and walked to his seat between them.

"Some storm." she said as David groaned.

"I thought Halkeginia was too far north for big storms like this, but I guess I was wrong." he stated, before looking up and behind him as he felt a tap on his shoulder, blinking as Frances looked down at him.

"It's not natural." the boy stated, shaking his head. "Guiteau's causing it to change the arena's footing. He does it every year, apparently."

David stared in surprise, shifting to turn his body around to look at Frances in shock. "Wait, Guiteau has that kind of power? Isn't controlling weather kind of a big deal even in this world?"

Frances simply shrugged at the question. "Square-class mages are on a whole other level from everyone else. And among them, those with a lot of experience are even more powerful. I wouldn't put it past him to be able to do this just for the sake of a challenge."

David spent a few seconds processing the information, before turning back around, looking around the classroom to see who was here, who were potential rivals today. Seemed that there were only 7… "Where's Gregory?" he asked, first to Frances before he noticed the odd kid was already not paying attention to him anymore, then turning to Kelly instead.

"Beatrice probably scared him off after yesterday. I wouldn't put it past him, she's pretty scary." the girl said, and David nodded in understanding, looking to the other side of the room where Beatrice sat alone, arms crossed and eyes closed in what appeared to be a meditative pose. Katie had ranked her the third most dangerous classmate to have to fight, but in his opinion, she was probably the scariest. Certainly, there was no mercy when she was your opponent.

Speaking of Katie, he hadn't even bothered to go to her. The fact that she was nose-deep in her notes, ignoring everyone in favor of poring over whatever observations she'd added, meant there wasn't a point talking to her anymore. He wasn't like Beatrice in her immediate cutting of ties with her partner, but he had to be aware that as of now, Katie was an enemy too. It was clear that was Guiteau's purpose after all, making them work together in the early rounds and then fight at the second stage.

The subject of the thread of thought pushed the door open, bringing in a blast of cold air that made several students shiver and sent Katie's notes flying. The girl was clearly about to jump for them before, with the flick of his wand, the teacher caught the papers in midair and moved them into a neat stack in front of her again, all while he walked up to his podium with a grin as everyone turned their attention to him.

"Alright, looks like everyone's here!" he stated, briefly looking around to mentally check that his statement was correct. "Unfortunately, Mister Winston has informed me that he will be backing out, which means we will only be having seven combatants...An odd number, but one I was able to work around."

There wasn't much chatter with so few students now, and when he wasn't speaking, the only sound that could be heard was Ludwig's light snores and the Unnamed Siblings' attempts to wake him, though they were waved away by the adult. "Don't worry about Mister Rain, you two. He is no doubt already aware of everything I'll be telling you today...Other than the bracket, of course!"

He seemed very excited to mention that, and the students shared the excitement, though for them it was more anticipation than anything else. "I don't suppose any of you wish for me to hold off on telling you, so I think I'll just go ahead and deliver that information first. I thought long and hard overnight about who best to match with who after all, and I'm quite proud with the results. Ahem." He turned around to pick up his chalk and draw out the new bracket...Three fights the first round, and two the second with one person skipping the first round, followed by the final battle.

The class watched with anticipation as he started from the bottom of the board. "The third fight today will be between Katrina de Garudo, who recently showed off her skill in the last fight yesterday, and the resident underdog of the class, Kelly de Dulce."

Katrina appeared satisfied, while Kelly groaned, her head hitting the table as David patted her back. "I'm doomed. Katrina's way stronger than me…"

"It's okay, you'll do better than you think." David said, grinning, though she didn't seem happy with his encouragement.

"The second battle will be between Ludwig Reiner, whose magic has not yet even been seen, and everyone's favorite obsessive planner, Katie de Huron!"

Ludwig's snore punctuated the statement as Katie's face went paper white, the girl staring at the board with an expression of terror. It was no wonder, she'd hyped the tanned Germanian up the entire tournament and now she would be the first to face him directly. That had to be the worst case scenario in her mind.

"And the first fight of today...The Gandalfr, David de Wilson, versus a royal bishop, Beatrice von Guldenhorf! Frances de Erikson will stand by and battle the winner of that round tomorrow."

Beatrice showed no expression, positive or negative, at the statement, remaining in her meditative state as David pondered how that would go...He wasn't terrified of her, but he was fully aware how dangerous she could be, especially to a nonbeliever like himself. Frances, meanwhile, sighed as he noted the fact he'd be inactive, leaning forward to calmly tell the swordsman "Good luck."

"Thanks. I'll need all the luck I can get." David replied, turning to Kelly to help calm her down. Katie was the one with the particularly bad matchup, but it was true that Kelly had pretty much gotten through the first stage only with Frances' help...and considering the events of the final battle of that stage, Katrina was a capable mage in her own regard. The poor girl really was the underdog here.

"You should worry about yourself over her." the Unnamed Brother stated, standing behind him, and he looked to the boy, who smiled. "Beatrice is your biggest threat right now, and I don't think she'll hold back just because Guiteau tells her to. She's been using minimal magic before today, so we think she's been saving for going up against you."

"How do you know she's not aiming higher?" David asked. "Ludwig and Frances are more threatening than me."

The Brother shook his head at the statement, leaning back on the desk behind him. "You don't realize how you look when you're fighting, do you?"


	139. Worldbuilding!

The Brother's ominous statement went unexplained as Guiteau caught their attention again, having finished writing the bracket out. "Those who are here simply for support or just to watch, please leave the room. The next part applies only to the combatants."

The Brother grinned, holding his hand behind his head as he stood straight to walk next to his sister. "Well, guess you'll have to find out on your own. We're not really supposed to be giving hints to anyone."

The Sister nodded, laughing. "We're not even supposed to be here. Our parents wanted us to head home as soon we we lost, but we wanted to cheer you on!"

David smiled, waving to the two as they filed behind Ludwig's seat, the boy finally waking up as the Brother kicked it on his way out to the aisle. "See ya, Reiner. Don't kill anyone."

The still-sleepy Germanian raised a hand beside him, just two fingers as opposed to a full wave. "I'll try not to." he said, before his head met the table again. "Katie, huh? Lucky her, I'm exhausted…"

"What were you doing?" David asked, though he received no answer as Ludwig simply shifted his head to rest his chin on the table and look forward.

"I'm going to take my time today, I don't really feel like going all out."

Coming from anyone else that wouldn't be very unusual, but from Ludwig, it was a terrifying thought, and it wasn't helped by Kelly still freaking out at David's other side. Now that there was no buffer as the Unnamed Siblings had left the room, it really became clear how small the remaining competition was and how big a gap existed between the strongest and weakest in the room. Where was he in that?

Guiteau clapped, bringing him back to attention before he could go Kelly's way. "Alright! Now that it's just you seven, time to get to the important stuff!" As usual, the man seemed unbothered by the rising tension in the air. "I'm sure you remember that everyone was balanced out for the first stage using a system of limits and handicaps. Well, naturally, those will be lessened for this stage. Of course, our particularly strong competitors will still be limited, but those who are below average will have no handicaps given to them. The purpose of the second stage is to test your ingenuity in the face of a powerful foe after all, so the weak will not be given mercy."

Well, that only served to increase Kelly's panic, and instinctively David wrapped an arm around her shoulder, bringing her to lean against his side to keep her from passing out from terror. Why she was so worried was beyond him, but it just served to show what a complete antithesis she really was from the incredibly calm Germanian to his other side, as well as Frances, who simply tched at the sight of her trembling.

"Of course, permanent injury is still against the rules, and after the fight we will not name, psychological trauma is also banned. Remember, while you are enemies, everyone here is still a student. Get put up against a real mage and even the strongest of you will fall. So be nice, but be ruthless as well!"

Slightly contradictory, but it fit the man's unorthodox style. It probably made sense in his mind. "And now for what I'm sure you're excited about...the new limits placed on our stronger members. Mister Etojin, your limit is completely removed. You may use the fullest extent of both your magic and your creativity. Miss Guldenhorf, you are allowed any spell below Triangle-class, but anything above is banned. Mister Rain, you have the same limit as Miss Guldenhorf, however, you must stay within Dot-class or smaller."

Beatrice broke her meditation long enough to glare at Ludwig, who didn't many any motion suggesting he noticed, simply staring straight ahead again.

"I could still win even if I couldn't use elemental magic." he stated flatly. "I don't need to be like Mister I-Mastered-Two-Elements back there."

"Not all of us can use magic without training, Ludwig." Frances replied with equal monotone. "If you sparred as much as you slept, you'd be at least Line-class by now."

"Can't be bothered. Too much work." Ludwig replied. "That sounded like a compliment though, Frances. Letting your soft side show?"

"I'm allowed to be honest, aren't I? Even to you."

"Not like you ever act like we're friends anyway. Even though we are." The boy's eyes lolled to the side, blinking a few times. "What's Kelly's problem? She's got a good chance of winning, doesn't she?"

David looked between the two, keeping Kelly against his side in at least a minor effort to comfort her as Frances shrugged. "I don't know, I wasn't around to see your fight so I can't say whether Katrina's a good opponent or not. We'll just have to see. Though first we've got to get through yours, don't we, David?"

David sighed, tapping his desk with the hand not wrapped around his friend. "I'm not entirely sure how to beat Beatrice, but I'll figure something out."

"Do your best. There's not much reason to win, but I suspect there'll be visitors now from the upper years. It'll be good to show off to them that we're worth remembering."

"Is that your motivation? I didn't pin you for the type to fight pointlessly." David asked, and the boy nodded.

"I come from a family specializing in media reporting. Combat isn't something I'm interested in, but getting my name out there as someone trustworthy is exactly what I was raised to do."

"Never met a reporter myself, but in my world they don't have nearly such a good reputation." David mused, and the boy blinked.

"Media is the highest standard there is for spreading public information. How can they not be seen in high regards?"

The Earth resident simply shrugged at the question. "We've had a lot longer and a lot more countries to let corruption in. At this point it's basically just normal for an agency to be biased. Then again, it's not necessarily a bad thing. Having freedom of speech is important after all, and in our world, royalty and nobility are generally considered useless."

"It's strange to think that a nation could survive without a caste system, but it's not the first time I've heard talk of democratic election before...Not in Tristain, but some fledgeling countries."

"There's other countries in Halkeginia? I've only heard of-"

"The main five?" Ludwig asked, groaning as he sat up and grinning as David nodded. "The four Brimiric nations and my good old homeland, Germania. They're the ones everyone knows, but there's some others. Mostly just suzerainties like Beatrice's Guldenhorf. They're not really important but it's good to know if you want to get into politics."

"...Yeah, I think I'll stay away from that. I am _not_ a politician."

Ludwig laughed as, cued by the other fighters standing up, the three boys also got up to head out, David helping Kelly along while she prepared herself to walk. "You're like me. We stick to what we do best; holding a weapon."


	140. Quake

It was a good thing that Kelly had recovered enough from her shock to walk on her own now, because David doubted he'd be able to carry her from the tower to the training field. The rain and wind was only stronger now, Guiteau's magic feeding it as the storm turned the ground into a minefield of mud and puddles. The distance between the door and the arena was short, but the minute or so of walking was enough to completely soak the challengers.

Guiteau and the observers had a nice protective bubble of wind magic around them, of course. However, unlike what he'd been expecting upon looking around, David did not see only a handful of classmates watching...Instead, the audience even included several students from the higher grades, and though Beatrice remained flat and emotionless at the sight, it was a little strange for him to walk past Tabitha, who sat near the entrance to the arena and said nothing, simply staring as he walked by. He'd barely crossed paths with the Gallian since heading back here from her estate, and seeing her again was nice, if a little awkward.

A few other second year students were here as well, though the only ones he recognized were Montmorency and two friends he really only knew the tiniest bit about from Guiche, Reynald and Gimli. Among the others, he noted several third-year mantles, though he knew nothing about that grade so he went back to focusing on not falling over from the uneven ground.

As the combatants not about to fight filed into their seats, Guiteau raised his wand hand, and the water and mud cleared away for them to sit, the rain above them stopping as it had for the others, while David and Beatrice stood facing each other at either end of the arena.

It was odd being able to hear the wind mage somewhat clearly through the rain, but David shrugged it off as just being another aspect of the mega-spell this storm was seeded from. Guiteau was a Square-class, and Louise had drilled into him how legendary they were. Who knew how many words there were in the initial chant.

"Here we are, at the start of the second stage!" the teacher started, his voice like an announcer's at a sports competition. "As you observing are aware, this stage will be set up a little differently...Every round will have a climate theme to it. This first day's is stormy weather, as suggested by Mister Angel!"

David looked around the observers, but as Guiteau made no motion to point out the person, and no one had outwardly reacted, he had no idea what the person looked like...And knowing Guiteau, his name wasn't really Angel anyway. Oh, well, he didn't care all that much, turning back to Beatrice.

He had to focus on her alone. Getting psyched up about there being an audience other than classmates would only distract him. For once he agreed with her tactic of ignoring anything and everything around her. In fact, as far as he knew, she hadn't let her eyes off him ever since leaving the classroom.

The girl was creepier the more he looked at her, and even though Guiteau was still in the middle of describing the two to the audience, she already had her hand in her cape, ready to cast a spell as soon as she could. He acted in kind, hand at his waist around his knife's handle. He was at the disadvantage here, he knew that very well. Beatrice's limit had been raised now, while he was at the exact same requirement as he had in the first stage. She was also Triangle-class, while he was still stuck with Unlock and Gandalfr. By all rights, this fight was likely to end within seconds if he wasn't extremely careful.

He closed his eyes, calming himself down as tuned out Guiteau's conveniently long rambling. He knew what Derf would tell him if he was allowed to wield the sword here. ' _Calm down, Partner. You're stronger than you think. Just trust your power._ '

Yeah, that sounded like something the void sword would say, and it was comforting thinking about Derf's trust in him. The sword almost never spoke of its past, but he knew it considered him a better wielder than most of the past Gandalfrs and their masters. It certainly had no shortage of insults for Adolphe de la Valliere.

He felt his heart rate decrease as he calmed down, and soon, he was able to focus again, letting Gandalfr increase his senses as it always did, enabling him to hear and feel the rain pelting them and helping him balance on the unsteady footing. It wouldn't do any good to panic over what Beatrice might do. He was a swordsman, not a mage, and so he had to concentrate on not collapsing after taking a misstep into a deeper pit of mud or smashing his foot into a hidden rock.

He wasn't even sure why he was so paranoid either. Yes, he was a heretic in her eyes, but it wasn't like she ever had any real reason to hate him. That coupled with her still-emotionless expression was a small comfort telling him that this fight wouldn't be quite as dangerous as his imagination was suggesting. Now, he just had to plan out his best moves and-

"Well, I think we've given our combatants enough time!" Guiteau called, and David bit his tongue in annoyance. He'd been too late to really come up with any sort of good solution. He'd just have to wing it, then. The adult turned to face the two, briefly frowning as both continued staring at each other rather than reacting to his looking their way, before smiling again. "It seems they're both raring to go! Now, it's time to kick off the second stage at full force!"

He raised his wand in the air, and with a short chant, a bolt of lightning shot up into the sky in a display that certainly blew away his usual starting pieces in the first stage. "Fight!"

In keeping with the new system, rather than simply vanishing, this time he remained within the arena, standing off to the side with his arms crossed, wand in hand to maintain the many spells he had going all at once at the time.

As the lightning faded, David raised his knife to chest level, narrowing his eyes and focusing his concentration to the ground. Beatrice was an earth mage, meaning most of her spells would take place below his feet, and he was aware she prided herself on not relying on other elements or elementless spells, so he could ignore those for now.

His judgement proved accurate as she pointed her wand straight down, issuing a chant in a calm, quiet voice, her volume too low for him to hear over the rain even with his boosted senses.

This was bad, right off the bat. If he didn't even know what she'd cast, then he couldn't track it, and the pounding of the rain masked any vibrations in the ground as well. Instinctively, he jumped up, not wanting to aim to the side in order not to risk slipping.

It was lucky that he jumped when he did, because a floor of stone grew from the ground, slamming into the area he'd been standing on with enough force to send mud flying in the other direction, exposing it just enough that he could land on the surface, which didn't simply sink again as he'd been expecting.

 _That's right. Earth magic can't just be manipulated at will, can it?_ he thought to himself as he caught his balance again, the rock a far more stable footing than before.

He knew she wasn't stupid, but looking at her, she seemed genuinely surprised that he'd dodged it, though her expression quickly switched back to her normal stoic demeanor, holding her wand up in preparation for another chant.

He grimaced as he felt the ground shift below him when he landed, and looked down to find that the rock he stood on had begun cracking, whether under his weight or simply from not being very sturdy to begin with. Either way, he doubted she'd just forgotten to reinforce it. She was trying to get him to fall into the mud again.

Looking at her, she still hadn't moved from where she stood, and though he could barely hear her over the storm, he could just barely see her lips moving. She was speaking slowly, and he didn't doubt it was intentional just to toy with him. From her other rounds, he knew she didn't waste any energy if she didn't need to, so he had at least a few seconds before she bothered to finish the next chant.

It bothered him that she saw him as not worth going all-out against, but it was a more favorable situation than if she didn't hold back. Right now, between him and her was a minefield of potholes and rocks buried below the mud layer, and he had no doubt she'd prepared it further with that first attack. Guiche aside, most earth mages were masters of traps and patience. He had to tread lightly here or he'd get caught.

He took the time she was spending to cast to look around the arena, carefully noting anything he could. The crumbling rock he stood on was the only large surface to stand on, but there were other patches poking up, as well as the completely dry surface Guiteau stood atop, protected by his bubble of wind. Oddly, the teacher wasn't looking their way right now, rather he was turned around and talking to Tabitha, who shifted in her seat, her staff lying across her lap and the laps of her neighbors, who seemed annoyed but unwilling to speak up.

Wait, why did he even notice that? Tabitha had nothing to do with this fight, and the audience weren't part of the arena's borders. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts and turning back to scanning the ground, before his eyes narrowed as something clicked in his head.

Like Guiteau, Beatrice also stood on a dry spot, and since the fight started, she hadn't moved from there. He'd assumed that, being an earth mage, she'd be unstoppable here, but now that he thought about it, with her immobility and slow chanting, could she…

 _She can't control water._ he realized, blinking a few times at the revelation. All this time, he'd assumed that one of her three elements would be water, but there really was no guarantee of that, was there? Just because she specialized in earth didn't mean she had to align with every other earth mage he knew, elemental magic didn't really work like that.

Still, now that he was aware, he could plan. The arena was terrible footing for someone who couldn't control water, and while he too would be severely slowed down if he had to slog through mud, she was also at a disadvantage. He just had to think of a way to get closer to her so he could properly use his own skills.

The problem, of course, was that even without water magic, she still had plenty of long-range spells, and he had nothing. Unlock wouldn't exactly be very useful here, not that it was ever good in combat anyway.

He narrowed his eyes and prepared to jump again as her wand hand twitched, her chant near its end. She'd spent a long time with this one, so whatever it was, it was likely a strong one. He knew she couldn't use Triangle-class spells thanks to her limit, but Line-class was still something to watch out for.

Her wand hand twisted to point to the ground, and her eyes narrowed as they made eye contact, David raising his knife instinctively as if it would do anything against a magical attack.

"Earthquake." she said calmly, and below them, the ground rumbled, this time noticeable over the pounding of the rainwater.

 _That's not good._ he thought to himself, and his thoughts were proven correct as the mud started to shake, almost acting like it was boiling as the solid ground below reacted to the mage's chant.

It wasn't long before he found his crumbling foothold sinking, and he tched, trying to think of a way to get out of this at least long enough to get to her. The name and length of the spell's words meant this would have a devastating effect both on the arena and him if he didn't act quickly.

 _Trust your power. Gandalfr is stronger than you give credit for. Just let your instinct take over._ Repeating what he knew Derf would say in his mind over and over again, he held his knife horizontally, the sharp edge facing forward as he leapt, trusting in his runes to handle his footwork as he jumped between patches of ground, aiming for the rocks briefly exposed as the ground shifted.

It was an oddly...floaty feeling, letting his body act on its own, but he ignored that, focusing entirely in front of him. Beatrice was raising her wand, her surprised face telling him she'd be issuing a defensive spell.

He couldn't hear what she was saying though, his concentration only on not tripping over, and her eyes widened as, with a motion that felt as slow as molasses, he found his hand crossing his vision, the shaft of her wand flying to the side as the handle remained in her grip. He had sliced the tool in half, without realizing he'd moved at all.

It was a weird experience, not controlling his own body, but as his foot hit the dry patch she'd been standing on, she fell back in shock, collapsing into the mud as he felt time return to normal, shifting to catch his balance again as he looked down at her.

Her normal stoic expression had shattered, and in seconds, the mud dried up, the rain lifting as Guiteau appeared next to the two, the Guldenhorf princess staring up at him in what could only be described as terror.

"What…" she whispered, before her voice came back, her wide eyes shifting in an attempt to keep what little dignity she could, sitting in cracked ground and caked in mud from head to toe. "What are you, you…"

As David brought his knife back to its sheath on his waist and the girl spoke the next word, the audience went completely silent, and even Guiteau remained still, a cold, emotionless expression on his face as she spoke.

"Demon."


	141. Forbidden Words

As Guiteau helped the girl to stand, the arena was dead quiet, no one speaking up about her statement. David knew he could be a little scary when he let himself go, but there was no way someone as strong as her would be that afraid of him, was there?

"Guiteau, when my runes light up, do I look like-" he started, but found his mouth closing at a burst of wind below his jaw, the teacher turning to face him as the wind picked up around them, forming an effective shield blocking out their speech from the crowd.

"You were not raised in our world, so you won't know, but that word is forbidden by the Pope. Miss Guldenhorf is exempt thanks to her being a bishop, but for any normal person to describe anything with that word, a lifetime of prison or execution is all that awaits."

The girl frowned, pushing his arm aside and standing up straight, pointing to the Gandalfr. "Even for us bishops, it's taboo, but for someone like you, I can think of no better description." she stated, and through her effort to remain calm, she still had an obvious note of fear in her voice. "That power you have is dangerous for everyone around. Whatever, you won. I won't contest that. I'm out of here."

With that, she turned away, walking out of the cone of wind and exiting the arena, the audience watching silently as she left, before Guiteau looked back at the victor.

"I don't know what that word means in your language, or if it translates at all, but be aware that she is taking this way too far. She's essentially branded you as her enemy by labelling you that way."

"Does that mean I-"

"You won't be treated any differently. If anything, this will only backfire on her. You have done nothing out of the ordinary, and there are numerous experts in both magic and swordsmanship in the audience to bear witness if she does try anything like sending in her Luft Panzer Ritter. Your victory was sound and legal, there is nothing to worry about." He grinned, setting his hand on the boy's shoulder to make him stand straighter. "Personally, it's impressive you beat her without actually landing a hit. I expected her to be the type to put her fullest effort to beat you, and that you'd both end up hospitalized. Guess I owe Jean 10 ecu now."

The man laughed, letting go of David's shoulder and turning to the audience as the wind dissipated. "Everyone, please ignore Miss Guldenhorf. She spoke out of line and will be disciplined accordingly later. With Mister Wilson's victory, the second stage has officially begun!"

His quick change to his usual happy tone helped the crowd overcome their hesitation, and most of them clapped for David's victory, while Tabitha simply sat quietly and smiled to him, waving her staff in the air to acknowledge the fight.

He wasn't entirely sure that it really counted as a legitimate victory, considering he'd not actually done much, but that didn't stop him from grinning as he headed to the seat next to the Unnamed Siblings, who leaned forward to give him a double hug from behind as they laughed.

"There's not many people who can freak that one out as much as you!" the Sister said, shaking her head. "It was just like if we used an Illusion spell!"

The Brother playfully punched the girl's shoulder. "Nah, our magic isn't that direct. It takes a plain old swordsman to just cut someone's wand and disable their magic like that."

"It wasn't that impressive, I just wanted to stop her from casting...Can't a broken wand still be used?"

The Brother nodded. "Yes, but a lot of people tend to forget about that. You get used to using your wand, so when it's not properly shaped then it feels like your magic is gone too. Why do you think so few people use wand swords?"

"...I've never tried casting through Derf, or this knife." David replied, and the Sister patted his back.

"You could if you wanted to, but you're not a magic-focused fighter anyway. Most mages have a specialty anyway, so it makes sense you'd build up your swordfighting over everything else. Unlock's pretty useless in combat."

"Yeah, I know. I've all but given up trying to figure out magic. I'm technically a commoner after all, it's surprising enough that I have one spell at all."

"There's anomalies everywhere, you're probably one of them."

Their conversation was cut short by Guiteau coughing into his hand, the motion coupled with another breeze probably purely intended for dramatic effect. "That last fight certainly had an interesting outcome, but we still have two more to get through today! Let's get right into the second one!"

As the two next combatants headed around the seats to get to the arena, the dichotomy between their confidence in the fight was as plain as day.

Ludwig was relaxed, walking with his hands crossed behind his head and facing forward, not paying any attention to anything except the ground in front of him, while from behind him, Katie was a mess, sweat and trembling as she stared at her adversary's back with sheer terror as he headed to the other side of the arena, turning to face her.

The ground was dry now, but it still was bumpy and full of holes, and the atmosphere itself was warm and humid, which didn't seem to be doing the girl any favors in the dark mantle of the school uniform as she uncomfortably balanced on the flat patch that had held Beatrice the fight before.

Though his own uniform was wet and dirty from his fight's climate, David appreciated the quick-acting wind barrier, which had dried out most of the water and made the mud simply dirt caking his pant legs, for keeping him out of the arena's weather now. Storms were one thing, but in his opinion, the worst was when it was just hot and humid. Even Ludwig was probably hiding his discomfort right now.

He turned to the twins to ask their opinions on the fight, but seeing that they were now fixated on the two in the arena, he shrugged, crossing his arms to watch in silence.

"And here we have our next fighters! The observational master, Katie de Huron, up against the valedictorian Ludwig Reiner! Seems that both have their own views on how this fight should go, but only time will tell what will actually happen!" His cape swished as he turned on his toes, pointing to the two. Ludwig was staring right at the girl now, evidently getting in the mood for the fight, while Katie was visibly shaking, so nervous that her sweat had begun to pool around her feet, the rising heat not doing any favors for her fear at the fight. "Well, let's not waste any more time. Fight!"

It was silent after he called the start, Ludwig simply standing still, crossing his arms and frowning at the girl, whose knees were shaking now as she made a step forward, reaching to draw her wand in a noticeably slow motion.

"You're not in any condition to fight." he said, his voice flat but with a tone of concern. As David looked closer at his former partner, the boy's statement was only proven right...Katie did not look good.

Her eyes were droopy and her motions were slow and exaggerated as she started her chant, her wand shaking in her hand as she stumbled on her words, repeating herself a couple times as she attempted to cast her spell.

"...I'm not fighting you when you can't even cast right." the boy stated, and as her spell managed to cast, it was so weak and unfocused that he didn't even need to chant, simply waving it away with his empty hand. "You've had serious trouble recently, haven't you? I'm surprised you even decided to fight me, but with you like this, I could poke you and you'd collapse."

"I..I've studied every possibility." the girl said, stepping forward again and attempting to cast another spell, which had the same effect as the last. "I can still…"

Her eyes drooped farther, and without another word, she fell forward, collapsing to the ground, which sank below her as it crumbled to sand, while Guiteau walked to her, bending down to check and see if she was alright.

"Well...I suppose I should have noticed earlier, but it seems one of our contestants wasn't feeling well...Excuse me while I-"

"I'll take her." Ludwig said, walking up to them and bending down to lift her arm around his shoulder. "Just go to the next fight, we can decide this one on our own. She can't fight, but I won't, so there's not really a winner."


	142. Underdog

**Sorry I've been so slow recently, been working on other stuff and also got Pokemon Emerald on an emulator, so I've had a lot of time unwittingly sucked away. Ralts chain for life.**

* * *

Frances stood up, jumping to the row below and shifting to sit by David, who looked at him, ignoring the two siblings hanging off his shoulders in disappointment at the lack of a fight.

"Kelly is up next." the mage stated, looking forward and crossing his arms. "Katrina is powerful, but it may be a closer match than we think."

"You know her better than I do, your opinion's worth more than mine." David replied. "I thought Katrina was insanely powerful from the last time we saw her, but Katie didn't consider her all that dangerous, so maybe I'm wrong."

"That battle still bothers me. At the beginning of the year, we were given a battle royale in order to test our skills, and Katrina never showed much promise. If she's grown this much without anyone noticing, then even I have no idea how she can beaten...But since you haven't seen her really fight yet, I'll tell you something important. Kelly is not a pushover, even though she acts the part. When I heard she would be my partner for the first stage, it was relieving to know I had someone I could trust on my side."

David smiled at the boy's earnest statement. "You're pretty close with her, aren't you?" he asked, and Frances waved his hand.

"Not in the way you're thinking. We've been friends for years, even before either of us had first used magic. She's even helped me with-" He shook his head. "Nothing, never mind. Just pay attention. I can't say that she'll win, but whatever happens, this won't be an easy battle."

It was still odd hearing Frances talking honestly even though he'd been getting steadily more open to conversation over the last week, but David knew not to press, simply choosing to trust his word and watch the battle play out.

The arena was different yet again this time, and as the combatants stepped on the ground, the dirt and rock below their feet collapsed into sand, sinking in and filling the holes left from the first fight as the area transformed before everyone's eyes into what appeared to be a desert scene, the storm above the entire academy having dissipated, leaving bright noontime sunlight beating down on the ground and adding to the dryness of everything.

Kelly tripped on her way to her position, but caught herself before Katrina could offer a hand, the girl a little nicer to her soon to be enemy than the last few rounds, and the attempted kindness did wonders for Kelly's confidence, the girl getting a spring in her step as she headed to her position, shifting her footing on the loose sands.

"Are you both ready?" Guiteau asked, standing between them. "No one going to pass out before we start, right?"

Kelly grinned, shaking her head. "I'm fine!" she said, her voice light and bubbly, a completely flip from her panicking earlier that day.

Katrina smiled at her opponent's enthusiastic remark, before nodding herself. "I'm alright as well. Not the most favorable conditions, but I've learned from Beatrice's mistakes. It would be an embarrassment if I lost this!"

The man laughed at the two's confidence, before stepping back. "Now, then! Since both are ready...We have the final fight of the first round! It's an all-female fight for a chance, between Kelly, the underdog of the competition who came out on top in the first round, and Katrina, who really kicked up a storm in lieu of some particularly troublesome fighters beforehand! We've seen little from both, so this should be quite the interesting fight! Ready! Three! Two! One! Draw your wands!"

He jumped back to the edge of the arena again, a boost of wind giving him an odd-looking backwards long jump as the two faced off.

"Is. Feoh. Water Dome!" Katrina called, the same spell as before erupting around them, though it was notably thinner in the desert conditions.

"Ray!" her opponent called, her demeanor shifting again to a more serious expression, matching the apparent combat stance she took.

David had never seen Kelly actually fight seriously before, but he did recognize her pose...Was she copying Agnes' style? He hadn't even been aware she knew the Chevalier, though maybe he was just wrong and it was a common martial art. In any case, the spell she'd cast did nothing, simply passing right through the wall of the Water Dome and dissipating over the sand.

There was no hole where the spell had passed through, the dome simply reforming around it instantly as Katrina raised her wand upwards, starting the same chant as before. Like the last time, the air above them within the space started to darken as a small cloud formed.

Kelly looked up at the sky, before looking around, and, realizing that there wasn't anywhere safe from it, she shifted her pose, kneeling down in a crouch and setting her hand on the ground. She winced at the heat coming off the sand, but maintained the pose anyway, closing her eyes and going quiet.

 _What is she doing? That cloud's just going to grow._ David thought, biting his lip as Frances chuckled beside him, giving no explanation for the response.

"Are you really trying that on me?" Katrina asked, pointing her wand at the crouching girl. "I've seen that style before, it doesn't scare me. I know you can't perform it properly."

When Kelly didn't respond, simply remaining still, Katrina frowned, glaring down at her. "Fine, if you aren't going to pay attention, then I'll finish this quickly! Hægl. Dæg. Bolt!"

From the clouds, a streak of lightning came down to the ground, aimed at the immobile mage, though considering that Guiteau made no move to stop it, it probably wasn't a particularly powerful spell. Still, getting hit by lightning wasn't going to be good if she didn't move.

David instinctively flinched as the lightning struck, and his eyes went wide as they opened again, seeing exactly what had happened.

Whatever it was, it was quick, and Katrina was equally shocked as the arm Kelly was not resting on the ground was raised horizontally, pointing her finger up to the storm, seemingly unharmed as she stood up, revealing that the space below where her hand had been had been melted down and recast into glass.

"How...What did you-" Katrina was about to ask, before she was forced to cast a Shield to block the Ray that fired her direction, her opponent stepping forward.

"It wasn't my original plan, but this heat's making your dome too weak to bounce spells off." she said, an uncharacteristic grin on her face. "So I had to make do with my other skills, since I couldn't just bounce off a Ray and hit you from behind."

"Hægl. Dæ-" The spell was cut off by another Ray, and the girl had to step back to avoid it, her eyes wide in an expression of fear at the sudden turn.

David was equally surprised. This was the meek, average Kelly, and she was forcing Katrina to the defensive.

He turned to France, who, while keeping his expression flat, had narrowed his eyes. "Kelly...I wasn't aware she had that much control already. Last time she tried to use that pose, she ended up taking more damage than if she'd just taken the spell straight on. What in the twin moons has she been doing?"

"Wait, you mean you weren't expecting this? Didn't you say-"

"I said this wouldn't be an easy battle. She only started learning that style a few weeks ago, I expected her only to have learned enough to match most of the people here...But with this level of mastery, she might even be able to match against me."

"...Not much of an underdog then, is she?" David asked, and Frances laughed hesitantly.

"She did tell me she wanted to become a Chevalier some day. This must be her way of showing that she can handle the effort required." he replied, going quiet again so he could pay attention to the fight.

Katrina was by now only a step away from the edge of the dome, and her back touching the water surprised her, causing her to fall backwards, landing on her rear on the sand, the clouds inside dissipating without her presence. So the dome acted as a sort of room for her spells, then.

Kelly's grin didn't fade as she walked out too, pointing her wand down at her opponent. "My magic isn't that strong, but I'm good at defending. Still, that spell wasn't nearly as powerful as I expected...Were you faking your power last round?"

"I-I…" Katrina stuttered, before lying back, sinking slightly in the sand, the water soaking her from passing through the dome protecting her from being burned. "I don't have the power to handle whatever weird power you have. I...surrender."

Guiteau smirked from his spot at the side, walking over to the two as the dome faded away, evaporating in the desert conditions. "Everyone, we have a winner, but I would like to say something to our combatants after this."

As Kelly helped the other girl up, the Square-class laughed. "This battle, as short as it was, is the perfect representation of what this tournament is about. All you in the audience who have participated in years past and who are competing now, these ladies are an example. There are people here who show themselves as strong, but must have help from others to prove it. There are those who are meek and nervous, but who turn out to be powerful. Neither side is inherently wrong, but it is important to note that Kelly here won because she surprised us. She learned a new technique in secret, hidden from view. Remember that, Katrina, and everyone else who doesn't fight alone."

David blinked as Guiteau looked at him, confused for a moment before sighing inwardly.

How was Casper doing? She'd been silent for so long now, he hoped she hadn't abandoned him. He still trusted that she wasn't an enemy, but still...


	143. Intermission

Kelly collapsed in her seat as soon as she made her way out of the arena, staring blankly forward with droopy eyes.

"I'm hungry…" she complained, and Frances sighed, setting a hand on her head.

"You could have beaten her without going overboard, you know." he stated, and she looked up at him, blinking slowly a couple times.

"You know I'm not brave enough to fight fairly against someone like her." she replied, and he chuckled, taking his hand back to his lap.

"She wasn't that strong, you could have managed. Well, at least you didn't panic like Katie."

"She was already not feeling well, I don't think that really had to do with Ludwig."

"What did you use, anyway?" David asked, leaning forward, and she turned her head to look at him. "I've never heard of a spell that could do that."

"It's not a spell." she replied, shifting in her seat. "It's just a martial art, not magic. It can direct spells away from you, but it's kind of dangerous. It's really bad for you if you try to use your body as a wand."

"Kelly's wanted to become a bodyguard for several years now." Frances explained to the Gandalfr, who listened closely. It was interesting after all...and it could be useful to know about. "And generally speaking, if you can think of a non-mage who's earned a name for themselves, they'll be a master of it."

The girl grinned, nodding her head. "It's a big goal for someone like me with weak magic. Maybe you can learn it too...I bet it would be nice to have it since you're a close combat specialist."

David laughed at the statement. "Yeah, though I don't know how easy it would be...I've been needing to learn to use what little magic I do have properly though, I should focus on that first."

"Well, there's nothing wrong with specializing in something. Many mages have crashed and burned after trying to take on too large a skill set." Frances replied, before the three turned as Guiteau called the audience to attention from where he stood in the arena, which had been returned to its normal earthy state as it had been before the storm started.

"Now then, everyone...I know that I had said there'd be one more day left, in which our semifinals and the finale would occur...But today's round ended much earlier than I'd expected, and I'm sure you who came here purely for entertainment had expected more, so I've decided that instead, the final two rounds will be taking place today."

A few people in the crowd whispered to each other, and the Unnamed Siblings patted their friend's back, David sighing and setting a hand on his forehead.

"I was hoping I'd be able to get a little more sparring in before going up against you…" he said to Frances, who laughed, shifting where he sat.

"Well, I was prepared. I had a feeling he wouldn't keep us on schedule...I did find it odd that so many people were here today. He probably planned this from the start."

"Don't underestimate a Square-class professor…" Kelly said, before her eyes went wide and she sank down where she sat. "Oh, no...that means I'm up against Ludwig…"

Frances patted her head again, genuinely seeming concerned for her, and it did make sense. The boy knew both her and Ludwig for a long time, surely he of all people knew how the fight would go. "Just do your best. Remember, you won't be able to use your martial arts against him."

Well, that wasn't the most reassuring of things he could have said. If what David was starting to suspect was true, and Katrina had had help somehow in the first stage...Ludwig was certainly not going be easy to beat, even if this was only a competition.

However, Ludwig wasn't who he had to think about right now as Frances turned to him, tapping his shoulder to catch his attention.

"Looks like we're up now. I'm prepared, I hope you can put up a good fight." he said, and David grinned, standing up alongside him as they made their way down to the arena.

"I won't hold back." he replied, his rival laughing while they moved to their respective positions.

Guiteau waved his hands dramatically, displaying the two to the audience in an odd little dance, his mantle fluttering in the wind generated by his movement. "Now, then. It seems our combatants are eager to start, but I have to hype them up first!"

As he spoke, he continued waving his arms in the air, his wand put away now as he wasn't performing any magic. "This will be the start of the semifinals, the first of the final fights! It's only been a few days since this tournament began, but I can see that they've grown well. Whether short or long, victorious or defeated, each fight has armed them with new understanding of their classmates and of their own magic. They know better their strengths and their weaknesses, and those who learned to combat them have made it here. I know this wasn't a very big competition, and much of it ended very fast, but now, we are left with the champions. Our four strongest students, whose skills will serve as the hallmark for their peers over the next semester, and the years to follow."

 _Shouldn't he be making this speech before the final, not now?_ David thought, though he didn't say anything, his hand resting on the handle of his knife. Frances' hands were down and relaxed, and considering everyone else who had a similar pose in their battles, there was more going on than just drawing and casting here. Whatever he had planned, Frances wasn't a pushover, and unlike Beatrice, he had neither a magic nor environmental disadvantage here. This had the potential to be a very drawn out fight.

"Standing here are the first combatants, two students with completely different styles and motivations. On one side, we have Frances de Erikson, the heir to the Erikson family and already well established as a competent mage with his two mastered elements and powerful fire magic."

Frances shifted uncomfortably at the praise, though he kept a smile on his face for the audience as Guiteau continued, listing off various accomplishments and other descriptors that had nothing to do with his fighting style, serving only to elevate interest.

It took several minutes of useless information, none of which gave any real insight on Frances at all, before Guiteau finally trailed off, turning to the boy's rival now.

"And here we have David de Wilson, a newcomer not only to Tristain, not only to Halkeginia, but to Alfheim as a whole. Summoned here as a familiar from another world, he's been an unknown variable, with powers and knowledge that seem strange to us. Consistently he's proven to be a capable and intelligent individual, and he's dominated his competition since the start of this tournament."

As he talked, the crowd clapped, slowly increasing in volume as he praised the two, suggesting possible ways the fight would go, their histories and publicly known powers.

"Even before he came to my class, in fact, he's shown that, despite having little magic of his own, he's taken down far stronger opponents. This is David de Wilson, the man who took down Fouquet of the Crumbling Earth. Let's find out if he has what it takes to match that feat a second time!"

The two fighters jolted as he whirled around, wand in hand and pointed straight into the air. "Now, let us begin the semifinals! Three! Two! One! Draw your wands-...Draw your wand!"


	144. The Fire Whip

**So yeah, it's been a bit hectic and I haven't been able to sit down to write.**

 **I'm sure everyone's sick and tired of the tournament, so I've decided on two possible outcomes. As you know if you paid attention, there are three fights left. Frances vs. David, in this chapter, Ludwig vs. Kelly, and the finale. So, the first path is that I could write the last two fights in full, which will provide more insight into Ludwig's character, or I can rearrange things to skip ahead to the climax arc. What do you guys think?**

* * *

David would have immediately gone after the other boy, but he held back as his runes flashed, narrowing his eyes at the annoying feeling of static in his muscles as he tried to move forward.

The odd paralysis proved effective, as his heightened Gandalfr senses helped him recognize the twitch in Frances' shoulder. The fire mage held no weapon and hadn't even drawn his wand, but there was something in his sleeve, and if David had attacked then, he'd have been caught up by whatever it was.

Frances wasn't going to just rely on magic, if his runes had reacted so strongly. He had a weapon too, and the fact that he couldn't see it and had no idea what it might be set his nerves on the edge. The distance between them meant he couldn't be holding a blade, and a bow was too much work to hide. So what was it?

Frances was smart, and unlike Beatrice, he wasn't too arrogant to plan things out thoroughly. He'd been watching everyone else's fights, and David had no doubt he already had formulated multiple strategies to deal with anything the Gandalfr could throw at him. On the other hand, all David knew was that he had preferred the support role when Kelly was fighting alongside him, and he doubted that a fire mage actually focused on being in the background.

The glint in his eyes made it clear that Frances was taking this seriously. "You're smart. Or are you just depending on Gandalfr?" he asked, a small smile crossing his face.

"The runes are more experienced than I am." David replied, and Frances laughed.

"Really? Are you sure you should be trusting something so old and unfamiliar?" he asked. "There's a reason void vanished, you can't trust an old magic like that to serve you."

"Why are you so concerned about what I choose to trust?" David replied, raising his knife to point at the fire mage. "I'm going to beat you."

Frances' eyes lit up at the statement, his smile widening. "We'll see about that!" As he spoke, he jumped forward, and David retaliated with a slash downward in front of him, before his eyes widened as Frances gracefully dodged, continuing onward past him, and his weapon hand jerked to the side, the boy's momentum carrying him backwards and into the ground.

David groaned as he felt his breath knocked away, turning his head to find out what had happened, and his eyes widened as he saw his arm.

The knife had been tossed from his reach, and his wrist and forearm were now wrapped in some kind of bandage, which extended into Frances' sleeve. So that was what he had under there. What was-

"Cen. Whip." Frances said calmly, and David shouted in pain, reaching his other hand to grab at the fabric, before jerking the hand away at the sensation of burning heat.

Under the bandage, his arm felt like it was boiling, though externally, the strange weapon seemed none the worse for wear, pure white and doing none of the steaming or discoloring he had expected.

The runes on his hand had faded now that he wasn't carrying a weapon, and along with it left the pain resistance it gave him, meaning that right now, all he could feel was the searing of his skin as he stared up at the grinning mage.

"You prefer your right hand to wield weapons." Frances stated, and David gasped as the heat suddenly vanished and the bandage loosened, receding towards the standing boy as if it had a life of its own. "It's surprising since you write with your left."

The Gandalfr sat up, gingerly holding his arm below where the bandage had been and inspecting the damage. His skin was red and warm to the touch, but he wasn't blistered or scarred in any way. It must have just been a warning shot, then.

With his good hand, he reached for his knife, but it was kicked away by his opponent, who laughed as he now stood between David and his weapon. "You think I'll let you get that back? Come on, stand up. Show me that strength Guiteau was bragging about."

As David clambered to his feet, still holding his injured arm, he grimaced. Not only was his arm burning, but his chest hurt from being winded as well. The fight certainly hadn't started well for him, and Guiteau's shouting commentary really didn't help matters.

"Making it a fair fight after a trick like that?" he asked. "I thought magic couldn't enable moving existing things like that."

Frances smiled, raising his arm, and the bandage squirmed in the air like a snake. "Fire magic has a lot of tricks people tend to forget about. Maybe I don't have Kelly's close combat skills or Ludwig's sheer power, but I'm clever and cautious. I've already thought ahead to the end of this fight. I don't need to beat you down completely now that you're disarmed."

The bandage flew in front of him, catching David's fist as he made an effort to throw a punch, and Frances' expression didn't change. "That's stupid of you, you know I could just burn you again, right?"

David grinned as he stood still, his hand stuck in the position as the bandage bound it. "Yeah, you're more gifted than me. I don't have any fancy magic and I'm next to useless without a weapon. But I'm not stupid. I know you can't do too much, because we're not in a real fight here. All I have to do is figure out your limitations and get past them."

The other boy was about to speak, before his eyes widened as David's other hand slammed into his stomach, and he stumbled backward, clutching the area as the bandage loosened again.

David flinched at the attack. It had connected, but Frances' stomach was built like iron, and he could feel more bandages under his shirt. He probably had those bandages wrapped all along his body, then. Were they all laced with his magic, then?

Frances chuckled, coughing once but otherwise seemingly unharmed. "Good punch, I can't catch what I'm not expecting." The bandage shot towards the swordsman, who ducked, going after his target - the knife, which now was in his reach now that his opponent had stepped back. "Is. Sigel."

As the spell was being cast, he let his instinct take over, rolling towards the knife and grabbing it, letting the runes do their work as his arm raised to meet the attacking fabric.

He froze in place at the result, eyes wide as Frances laughed again as the tip of the knife's blade flew away, severed by what appeared to be a thin wind current, travelling along the bandage's length.

"I never said I only use fire, did I?" he asked, and David shouted as the bandage wrapped around his arm again, the same one as before, and continued to extend, wrapping along his body and paralyzing him where he sat. "I've mastered two elements and can use up to Triangle-class spells. Close or mid range, it's impossible for someone without magic to counteract my wand."

"How long is this thing?" David asked, struggling to escape the bonds around him as they tightened, focusing in pulling his knees and elbows closed.

"I have five hundred feet of compresses wrapped all along my body, plenty to handle anything that you can throw at me. You may as well throw the match here, if I really wanted to, I could burn you to a crisp right now. I doubt you've forgotten your first taste of Whip after only a few minutes."

David looked around, searching the arena for a method of escape, before he blinked, realizing something in what he'd said.

Frances had called this stuff a wand. That meant that he was using its contact with his body to generate the magic, and to cut the connection…

He smirked, looking up through the strand conveniently placed across the middle of his face. "You can plan everything meticulously, but I'll still learn mid-combat." he stated, putting all his strength into moving the hand holding the broken knife towards his enemy.

Frances raised an eyebrow at the movement. "What will you do with that?" he asked.

"Anything that can be touched can be a wand, and you forgot that I do have one spell." David replied, and the mage's eyes narrowed.

"Wait, what are you-"

"Unlock!"

Frances' eyes widened, and he let out an oddly high pitched shriek, and much to David's surprise, he dropped to the ground, curled up with his arms around his knees, face buried in the space created by his legs as the bandages squirmed around him, loosening around the confused Gandalfr, who stood up, scratching the back of his head.

It had to be a trick, wasn't it? But what kind of plan could-

"Fine! You win!" Frances shouted, his voice back to normal after that odd reaction, though he didn't move or even look up from his position on the ground. "Yes, I can't use them if they're loose! You're smart, you figured it out! You win!"

David had no idea how to react, but Guiteau appeared nonetheless, bending down to pat the losing student's shoulder, cooing quietly to calm to shivering mage.

"What...What is going on?" David asked, and Guiteau shook his head, before raising his hand, though he stayed crouched next to Frances. "And, with a surprising response from Mister de Erikson, David is the winner!"

The applause of the crowd did little to solve the boy's bewilderment.


	145. The Tournament's Finale

The victory over Frances really didn't feel like one. David hadn't expect Frances to react so violently to Unlock, he'd intended it only to be a cheap trick to escape the confines of the bandages.

Guiteau had explained that the de Erikson family specialize in using compresses as wands, and that without the level of control that hidden weapon gave, they tended to end up worthless on the battlefield, but that explanation didn't sit very well with him. Frances was too strong-willed for him to be able to imagine him collapsing so quickly upon such a simple tactic.

It didn't help that, during the very quick fight between Ludwig and Kelly, Frances had been right back to normal, acting as if the battle had never happened save for quietly muttering under his breath. Going back to his normal tsundere self so quickly just served to confuse David even more.

But right now, the Gandalfr couldn't be worrying about that. Right now, he was back in the arena, facing off against the other finalist...Ludwig, who had taken Kelly down swiftly and mercilessly with a single blow. Her odd martial art skills had done nothing to him, and she was taken down in seconds.

Now, David was up against the tanned kid, and he could barely think over the sound of the crowd, who had gotten more excited as Guiteau hyped up the finale.

"We've seen their skills, and they've dominated everyone they came up against! Keep your eyes peeled, because it may be over in an instant!"

David gripped the handle of his knife, good as new after being repaired with Guiteau's earth magic, in anticipation. As usual, Ludwig was relaxed, standing with his shoulders loose and legs bent slightly. It was obvious the valedictorian wasn't feeling particularly threatened by the presence in front of him.

"On one side, we have Ludwig Reiner. The epitome of a noble, a powerful mage from a powerful family, who despite his quiet and unassuming presence is undoubtedly the top of the class!"

Suck up to him more, why don't you?

"On the other, David de Wilson. From another world, possessing little magic and no known heritage, he's still made a name for himself before deciding to join us here. Whatever may happen, this battle represents the nobility versus the commoners!"

That was exaggerating, but okay.

"Well, I've talked enough about these two over the course of their battles, so let's just get right into it. The final fight, the climax, the end of the semester. Three! Two! One! Draw your wands!"

David raised his knife in preparation, before Ludwig began to hum, and the Gandalfr narrowed his eyes. Was he really going to do that again? He was just going to play around like he's done every fight?!

He wasn't sure why, but that really bothered him. He knew Ludwig was strong, but he was still a student, and he was fully aware that David wasn't a force to sneeze at. He couldn't possibly be that unbothered, could he?

His eyes went wide as his runes acted independently, dragging his body to the side to dodge a blast of wind, which dissipated quickly but still left him surprised.

He looked at Ludwig, who now had a grin on his face as he held his wand up, pointed at his opponent. "You think I'm relaxed, don't you? I'm very much being serious right now. I'm not really interested in putting on a show, but you're my friend, so I'll give you a chance. It won't be long though, and then I'll take you down."

David blinked in surprise, readjusting his pose and letting his runes stay in command. He wouldn't have nearly the reflexes required to avoid his attacks if all of them were that fast, so he had to trust that Gandalfr could do it for him.

He rushed forward, weapon raised and aiming for the boy's wand, but the runes jerked him to the side, cancelling the attack to avoid a spire bursting from the ground in front of his target.

 _He didn't even say any chants!_ David thought, confused by Ludwig's silence. All he was doing was humming, he wasn't even opening his mouth except to taunt him. How was he…

Was the humming itself a type of chant? He knew that mages could make custom commands for the name of a spell, but wasn't it always required to speak a chant beforehand? Or was he simply using basic spells without any additional effects?

"Keep trying, you'll figure it out." Ludwig said, laughing at his confusion. "Though by then, you'll have already been defeated."

Another blast of wind, and David's eyes followed Ludwig's wand movements, noting that Gandalfr was dragging him in the same direction. He already knew that the motion of a wand represented the motion of the spell, so maybe that was his best bet. Such a simple trick felt wrong, but if it really was all he had to do, then he'd exploit it as best he could.

As he dodged several other attacks, he nodded to himself, grinning as he got into position for another strike. So that was it. He knew Ludwig was a simple-minded guy, so it only made sense that his combat style was also relatively simple. He didn't need to worry about why he could chant silently or the incessant humming in his ears, he only had to counteract his wand and he'd be set.

This really didn't feel like a climactic battle, but he'd treat it as a normal fight. Ignore the fact that it's his friend, ignore that his magic is weird and seemingly defies the rules he had learned about. Just calm down, focus, and use his speed to his advantage.

"Time's up." Ludwig stated, grinning as his wand twitched in his hand.

David was prepared this time, and armed with the confidence that he'd figured out the trick, he jumped to the side to avoid the attack.

His eyes went wide as he felt his hand twist away from him, his knife flying off and embedding itself in the ground.

"What…" Had he miscalculated? Gandalfr was moving him exactly as his eyes predicted, so what had happened? Ludwig wasn't using any AoE spells, only directional ones, so-

"You thought you figured it out, didn't you? You got cocky, and because of that, you're going to lose now that you're unarmed."

David knew he was just taunting him again. If he could change gears so quickly that even Gandalfr couldn't follow, then he had no need to disarm him. He'd only done it to make his victory more obvious.

"Wind is boring. I'll beat you with something else instead. Hmm, what to do?"

Gandalfr wasn't active anymore, and without the reflexive speed, he had little chance of evading. Still, there was always a way to win, he just had to think of it.

He closed his eyes, bending to the ground and resting his hand on the dirt, letting himself focus on the issue. There was always a way out of any situation, if he just thought of it. Let his mind clear up, let his instinct take over…

He could hear Ludwig's wand move again, and this time, the Germanian made it very clear what he was going to do. No more humming, no more strange silent casting. Only a single spoken word.

"Thunderbolt."

David's body reacted immediately, even without Gandalfr's command. He knew the spell, and instinctively he knew how to evade it. No dodging, no running. He could take it straight on and come out alright.

He wasn't a master like Kelly, but his eyes snapped open and his arm raised to face the boy, palm out to catch the spell as it erupted from the wand. He had no training in the strange martial art, but he could still learn by example. Create a lightning rod. Use one hand as the ground, and the other to catch the-

He wasn't able to finish the thought as his nerves lit up, and he was vaguely aware of the ground rapidly approaching his face before his mind went blank.


	146. Intermission 1: New Disciple

**The tournament arc is finally over and done with, after months of dealing with it. Hopefully we'll never have to go through that again, I really don't think I'm cut out for writing constant fights like that.**

 **I have news! The following arc will be the climax of "Season 1" of the story! Don't worry, it won't be rushed and will certainly not be as annoyingly boring as this last one was. However, before getting into it, I've decided on doing these little intermissions occasionally.**

 **These will be at the start of various arcs in the series, and will all take place during Brimir's era. Just little snippets of the lives of the names that are now only legends. They probably won't be very long generally, and won't be very common, so I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

 _6139 years prior to the current timeline…_

Vidar was bored. Exceedingly so. The forests of Alfheim were quiet and peaceful, but for a man used to war, it was unnerving. His eyes constantly shifted around, peering at anything that moved nearby, though in his logical mind he knew that it was never a threat.

Some elf working on carrying timber back to the colony. Some human child, running out thinking he could find adventure in the wilderness. Some bird that wouldn't stop shrieking into the sky. It was a new world, but it was exactly like his own.

Normally, he would be patrolling the border of the colony, but right now, he stood guard at the entrance to a small hut, alongside an elven woman who his master had named Freya. The woman was relatively friendly, but she wasn't a very good conversationalist, and her obsession with learning about his race had driven a rift between the two.

Nevertheless, they shared a common interest in the man seated inside the hut. Brimir de Nidavellir was an inspiration to them both, having lead his tribe from a dark and wartorn world he called Svartalfheim all the way to this new world. Vidar had only joined along with other human refugees when the elves had passed through Midgard, but by now, they had integrated relatively well.

Now, under his authority as the Chieftain of Nidavellir, Brimir was speaking with another chief, of a native tribe of what he called "Light Elves". Vidar never really understood the distinction between light and dark elves, physically they were identical, but he didn't question his master. Brimir was a very intelligent man despite not even being of age by a human's terms.

This wasn't the first meeting between the dark and light elves, but it was the first civil discussion that didn't involve getting shot at through the trees. A step in the right direction, at the very least.

He didn't even know what the chieftain looked like, having not been allowed to witness the representatives entering the hut. All he knew was that right now, Brimir was working his magic as he always did.

Magic. What a strange thing. The power to manipulate the world around you, with little but discipline and a stick. That was what he had learned, and he had always assumed it was simply as things were, before meeting this bizarre elven boy.

A child possessing the knowledge of a civilization and the strength of the gods, who held the ability to destroy the world in his hands. Vidar had seen for himself how terrible the might of "Explosion" could be. He couldn't imagine what such power had been used for during the war the dark elves had fought before abandoning their home. It made him shudder to think what could be if Brimir was just a little bit less of a gentle soul.

He was taken from his thoughts as the leather flap of the hut opened, and the object of his thoughts sighed, stretching his arms in the air.

"Man, I hate being in cramped spaces. Seriously, how long was I in there?" the short boy asked, and Freya smiled, bending to speak at his level.

"Two hours. It wasn't as long as it seemed. How did it go?" she asked, while Vidar went silent. No reason to speak when it wasn't necessary.

"Eh, could have gone better, but she got the message." Brimir turned around, sticking his head back into the flap. "Sasha, you should meet my disciples. They're good people!"

 _There he goes again, being overly friendly even when it's not proper._ Perhaps it was simply his childish nature that caused it, rather than any real immaturity.

The human could hear mumbling from inside the hut, before a second figure walked out. A fair woman, with pale skin and silver hair reaching down to her hips in typical elven fashion. She blinked in the sunlight, before smiling, stepping out and standing up straight.

If Vidar wasn't used to Brimir's short stature, he'd have been blown away by hers, Normally, elven women were several inches taller than their male counterparts, but this one barely reached over the child's height. She appeared to be an adult, but it was difficult to tell with how elves matured.

"Hello." she stated, her expression slightly puzzled as she stared at him, her head slightly tilted. "Are you...Vidar?"

He nodded, taken aback by the question. Had Brimir mentioned him in their meeting?

His unspoken question was answered when she turned around to face the other dark elf, an equally uncertain expression as she peered at her. "And you are Freya?"

So they simply had discussed the disciples. That was fine, he didn't want a spotlight on him.

Freya grinned, nodding rapidly. "That's right! Nice to meet you, Honorable-"

"You are not a part of my tribe, so don't use a formal salutation." the light elf replied, before her confused expression softened to a wry smile. "Just call me Sasha. Starting today, I'll be working with Brimir to aid your colony. I do hope we can get along."


	147. An Important Meeting

**And now, the climax arc begins! Finally, getting back to the canon characters and escaping the slow process of defining the students. Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The atmosphere was tense in the principal's office as the visitors sat, awaiting the old man's answer to the questions they had given him.

"It's not often that you come with such an important request, Your Highness." Osmond stated, facing Marianne, who sat still, her hands tapping the armrests of her chair impatiently. Behind her stood Agnes and Cheri, standing guard as they always did, and to either side of the queen sat two more people, Henrietta and a man wearing a birdlike half-mask, who had additionally donned a long brown cloak and a large hat to cover his recognizable sandy blond hair. "And it's unusual to see Mister Tudor so covered up. Do you not trust my students and staff?"

"This is a matter of national security, and we've received word that there may be a spy for Reconquista in these walls. Forgive us for not wishing his presence to be revealed."

Osmond nodded, humming quietly to himself in thought. "That is a good point, and I've heard rumors that the royal family is having trouble adjusting to Henri's death. My consolations."

"It's not important now. We still have yet to decide on what to do about this war, so for now, we want Wales to be kept in a place we know he'll be safe. I was thinking of sending him to Romalia along with James, but Henrietta convinced me instead to have him seek asylum in the academy. Is that alright? This isn't an order, simply a request."

The old man nodded, mulling over the pros and cons of making such a decision. "I'd like to hear his opinion on the matter first. It's a tricky situation, especially considering the fact that we're in the process of final exams right now."

Wales coughed to clear his throat and shifted where he sat to appear slightly taller, though even without using any sort of the square-class power he held, the principal could easily see through his bravado. He was nervous, and reasonably so.

"I would have gone with my father, but I feel like I can be more useful here. I have Minerva captaining the _Eagle_ right now, so I want to be of use to Tristain even if I'm still in hiding."

"And you believe you can best do that by being under the protection of two students?" Osmond asked, and Wales nodded.

"Admittedly I don't know much about Louise, but I'm sure she's a strong and just person, and David and I are acquaintances. Henrietta's told me about his feats and his rejection of the Chevalier position. They're a capable duo to ensure my safety, and I'd like to return the favor."

Osmond sighed, shaking his head. "Honestly, what person rejects such an offer?" he asked himself, before blinking as he felt his mouse familiar scurry up his robes, crawling onto his shoulder. He turned his head to face the mouse, his eyes crinkling in a smile. "Hello, Chuchu. What have you found?" The mouse raised its front legs to rest on his beard, squeaking into his ear.

"None of us are wearing skirts, old pervert." Agnes stated, crossing her arms, and the old man laughed, waving his hand.

"I would never dare to sneak a peek at royalty, I quite like being a noble and keeping my position. I had sent Chuchu out earlier to gather information after I received word that you were coming. It seems that the first-year tournament has ended...Apparently Mister Wilson has been injured."

Henrietta jolted in her seat, and behind her, the two knights did as well, though Agnes kept it better hidden than Cheri, who stared at the man.

"What happened? Is he alright?!" she asked, before closing her mouth as the queen turned to look at her, and she stood straight, coughing to her fist in embarrassment. "I mean-"

"It's quite alright. It does seem to be a shocking revelation, I have never heard of him becoming particularly injured before." Marianne stated, much more calmly, and her hand reached over her daughter's to calm the girl as she turned back to the principal. "Is he not capable of handling this situation?"

The mouse squeaked again, and Osmond shook his head. "It seems he attempted to use the Chevalier Style against another competitor, and was knocked unconscious as a result. He should be fine after resting for a few days."

"Agnes, I know you wish to make a comment on that. You know that you're allowed to speak freely when in private." the queen stated, and Agnes let out a breath she'd been holding.

"...Idiot. Trying to use a technique that takes years to master. I bet he tried to use his hand as a grounding tool too. Does your rat tell you that?"

"I think you misunderstand my ability to speak his language. I can only get the general gist of what he says, I do not possess the universal translator spell. I don't know exactly what happened, only that it did." He sighed, pondering the situation. "Well, Miss Valliere has excelled in her exams this year and is perfectly fine, and I'm sure Mister Wilson will heal quickly. He has Gandalfr's strength after all. So, I think it's alright to allow Mister Tudor to remain here provided they agree as well. How long do you intend to keep him here?"

"The whole summer, if possible. Karin has told me that Louise always stays at the academy over the summer break, and few other students do, so it's a perfect opportunity to hide Wales until we can decide what to do in the capital."

"I hope Cardinal Mazarin has approved of this solution."

"He has. He wanted to keep him here permanently, but we can't risk him being discovered when there are more people. Will you you instruct your staff about this?"

"I'll tell Jean, Guiteau, and Marteau, but I don't think anyone else has to know."

"Marteau? I've never heard that name before." Marianne said, and the man waved his hand again.

"The head chef. I promised I wouldn't say too much, but suffice it to say that he will ensure that Wales gets along well with the commoner staff." He sighed, leaning back in his chair as the mouse scurried off him, running across the floor and slipping into a hole in the wall specifically designed for it before vanishing. "My apologies for being somewhat silent in Tristania, I've-"

"You've been busy with exams, I'm aware. We were hardly expecting you to accept this mission anyway, it was a good thing you did."

"Well, it's not my place to say. This kind of thing should be handled by people close to those involved...I'm sure Mister Tudor will be fine."

"And I hope David heals well." Wales replied, before Osmond laughed, returning to the usual good-hearted nature he usually had as he leaned forward again, resting his chin on knobby hands.

"So. Now that we've handled all the serious stuff, how are your own studies going, Princess? I hope you've been working hard. David certainly has been doing his best to keep up with everyone."

Henrietta blinked, before smiling. "I heard he was able to cast magic now. I guess I should have expected it, he's good at surprising people."

"Mm. He certainly is. Are you going to meet him once he wakes up?

Henrietta was about to reply, before Marianne grinned, and her hand moved to the girl's head, patting her purple hair as she chuckled. "Henrietta hasn't forgotten about that boy after Londinium. Even though I haven't noticed as many doves leaving the palace or as many windows mysteriously being left open when she's supposed to be asleep."

"M-Mother!" Henrietta squeaked, much like the mouse incidentally. "Is there anyone who doesn't notice?!"

The woman laughed, grinning at her daughter. "You are without a doubt the worst person in the world at being sneaky."


	148. Nervous Disposition

**So, I'm not entirely sure when the next chapter will be. I live directly in the path of Hurricane Florence, so we'll just have to see how the next couple days hold up. I would have been posting daily, but I was on a trip for the last week and only just got back as the hurricane news started coming out. Enjoy anyway!**

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Joseph de Gallia was incapable of feeling anger, but his ability to mimic the emotion was so convincing that Sheffield could do nothing but remain frozen in place, on her hands and knees facing the ground in front of him.

She could have simply bowed as she normally did, but she could feel the pressure generated by the man's willpower. He possessed no emotions, but that didn't mean he couldn't be disappointed in her failures.

"Myozunitonirun." Rarely did he ever say the title when he wasn't simply summoning her. Involuntarily, she flinched as her runes ached under the tremendous power of her master. "You allowed Oliver Cromwell to die."

It wasn't a question. It was simply a statement, spoken flatly without any change in his expression, but it commanded an explanation. "Stand. Look me in the eyes and explain what happened."

She could feel her body trembling as she obeyed, her runes shining brightly as they forced her to move. Her fear of this man, her insecurity at lacking the lined makeup normally under her eyes, her constant headaches. None of them allowed her to refuse, not under his word.

She allowed herself to swallow the lump in her throat before speaking, forcing herself to sound clear and concise. "He failed because he lost control. His purpose ended when he broke the negotiations treaty."

"And you took it upon yourself to pass judgement, despite having no such orders to do so."

The woman felt small under his gaze, but she couldn't look away from him. She knew this wasn't his fault. He was reasonably upset that she'd changed plans he'd so meticulously laid out, and if anything, she'd be more worried had he chosen to ignore this issue. "Letting him live would have resulted in the death of the Tristainian royal family as well as Gandalfr and his master, both of whom were present at the time."

Joseph's eyes narrowed, though it was more in curiosity than in suspicion. "The final void mage has surfaced?"

"Yes. A young girl, hardly a threat. But…" She hesitated, but continued as his stare urged it. "She's a Valliere."

As she said the name, the room went silent, a quiet lasting for several seconds before the man laughed, clapping his hands together once as he smiled, a relatively normal expression, but on his face it was a mark of something devious in his mind.

"A Valliere! Of course, I should have known. The previous holder was one after all, a millennium ago. So it has finally come back in their bloodline...How interesting. It seems that I owe Isabella 500 ecu."

"Sir, you...bet on the void?" It wasn't as serious a taboo as uttering the word "demon", but such an act was beyond her understanding. Then again, in all her time working under him, she had never once met someone so absolutely incomprehensible as this man's daughter. She certainly shared his sense of humor.

"Well, let's move on from that and back to the subject at hand. You do understand the consequences of killing Cromwell, don't you?"

She stiffened where she stood at the change of topic, before nodding. "Yes...And Jean-Jacques has developed a grudge against the Gandalfr. It may not be long before the public becomes aware that there are only a few members left."

"The Viscount of Wardes...I had already made contingencies in case he betrayed us, but it seems that won't be necessary. I've already contacted him and made preparations for Cromwell's body. The public must not know about his death."

"I will accept whatever punishment is necessary. I cannot excuse my failure." The statement was made as monotonous as she could muster, but she wasn't able to fully hide her nerves...She already knew what his answer would be.

"Mistakes happen, humans are too weak to be perfect. You may simply serve by my side as you always have."

There it was. Joseph was a calculating and cunning man, but never once had he raised a hand against her, nor did he possess any interest in the more creative tasks that many nobles performed on their slaves. No, his idea of punishment was, in her mind, far worse. He let her go, as if he could not distrust her.

She stood calm and stoic, but inside, she was in turmoil, and she silently thanked her runes for already being lit, otherwise he'd be very aware that they were struggling against the thoughts inside her head. Her knowledge of New Divide, of the fact that she already had seen into the Gandalfr's head once before, she couldn't speak those to him. She still didn't know why, but something kept her mouth shut, and it only tore her up knowing that she was keeping secrets from this man who had taken in and raised her.

Joseph waved a hand, turning to walk away. "I can handle things from here. You're dismissed until I need your help again."

She bowed to him, though he was facing away, and with the activation of one of the many magical artifacts scattered along her body, she vanished, utilizing the teleporting magic she used all too frequently.

Her private quarters were the only place she could escape the outside world, the series of rooms designed specifically to have no entrances from the remainder of the mansion. Only she with her teleporting artifact could enter here, and only she knew what the inside looked like.

This room was her study, designated for the books, papers, and various other utensils brought in with her magic. She walked up to one of the desks, the one with the least random scribbles and pages on it, and lifted the book laid neatly on the top.

She rarely wrote journals, but ever since she'd defied her obedience and kept New Divide hidden, it was a pastime of hers, letting her get rid of her thoughts and plan out the messages she wanted to send.

Thumbing through it showed the many attempts she'd made recently, varying lengths and handwriting as she attempted to formulate her thoughts on the matter. Without Joseph's command, she'd fallen to stuttering and floundering for the right wording, and it didn't help that she still had no idea what to think about this clairvoyant entity. A being she'd never seen, knew nothing about, and for all she knew could not even be human. How does a poor servant like her handle such a person? And why was she so nervous rather than afraid?

This New Divide was smart, far smarter than the other Tristainians she'd watched. The last message he'd sent her, the odd sonnet that revealed the extent of his knowledge, told her that, at the very least, he was aware of the Ruby of Earth being in Joseph's possession, as well as simply the fact that the king was not as brainless as his public image suggested. Whatever New Divide was capable of, she had to tread carefully, or else it could bring ruin to her master's plans.

Then again, this wasn't the first time she'd screwed up, was it?


	149. The Brewing Storm

**So I'm guessing you weren't expecting a chapter, but it's a good way to take my mind off things. If I do evacuate then I'll be still able to write pretty frequently, but who knows how often it'll be once I get back. Oh, well. Whatever happens happens. Have fun, people!**

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It seemed like every time David ended up in a hospital bed, he would sleep for days before reviving again, but despite the time being the same, he still acknowledged his own improvement. The last time this had happened was way back when he first fought Guiche, and he'd collapsed from fatigue and had to be revived by a potion bought by Louise, all thanks to Gandalfr being too strong for his body to handle.

Now, however, despite the cause of his hospitalization being a much more powerful magic spell, he was able to wake up again after simply resting, no potion needed, and better yet, there was no residual pain, other than a slight ache in his torso as the electricity had reminded him of the slight bruising his ribs had received against Fouquet.

Now that he thought about it, there weren't many real fights he'd been in that didn't result in him getting himself hurt. Pretty pathetic considering that at this point in the canon, Saito had already been virtually untouchable. Virtually.

Like last time, however, he found Louise leaning over the side of his bed, sleeping peacefully as he smiled, holding out a hand to lightly pat her head.

The happy sound she made as she shifted helped his mood lighten. The two rarely talked, but he didn't hate her anymore. Once she'd figured out he wasn't going to accept the original plan she'd had, one that collapsed quickly anyway, she'd opened up to him, and in return, while he didn't really consider her a close friend, they still had some sort of loose friendship going. Nothing very strong, but she still didn't want to see him hurt, and the feeling was mutual.

"She hasn't been here the entire time you slept." came a familiar voice, and he blinked, breaking his gaze as his eyes widened at the girl walking up next to the pinkette, patting her back reassuringly and causing Louise to shift in her sleep.

"There's not going to be another negotiations attempt, is there?" he asked, and Henrietta giggled, holding her hand to her mouth to stifle the sound cutely, though as she realized that she shouldn't be reacting that way to such a joke, her .

"No, we haven't decided how to handle the situation yet, but there'll be no more efforts at associating with the enemy." A very grim tone that didn't fit her face. "I've spoken with every other patient here in order to appear as though I'm simply visiting to congratulate them for their exams ending, but we still don't have much time to speak."

He was about to speak, but she shook her head to cut him off. "Don't say anything, just let me say my piece and leave. This isn't a request to my associate New Divide, this is a statement to my trustworthy subject David."

Well, that wasn't something he ever expected her to say, so he went silent, his back stiffening to sit straight as he listened to her talk.

"I've already explained this to Louise, but the royal family has decided to leave someone important with you for the duration of the summer. This is to be kept a secret, and once you meet him, don't reveal his identity to anyone. Refer to him only as William de Gaul." She breathed deeply before continuing. "Louise has already been told about this, but I figured I'd ask you first to give you time to think it over. It's not an order."

He nodded, and she shook her head. "Now, one last thing...The position of Che-"

"No." He had no hint of hesitation in his voice, and her mouth snapped shut in surprise. "I already refused once, and I just lost a fight to someone who can't wield more than one element at a time."

"Everyone makes mistakes, so-"

"It was a stupid decision to begin with, yet I chose to go with it anyway. I'm strong, but I'm not clever enough yet. This time my dumb choice only affected me, but if I were to make an equally bad move and someone under my command got hurt, then that's another story. I need a better strategic mindset before I can even consider the offer. Ask me again when I've gotten out of a fight without getting sent here."

Henrietta was silent for several seconds, before sighing, crossing her arms and tapping the crook of her elbow with her fingers. "Then, at least let me give you an update on the situation at the capital. There's other news that isn't connected to this."

"Like what?"

"There's been a breakout in the National Prison, and several high-security prisoners escaped, including ex-Count Mott."

His eyes narrowed at the revelation. "I didn't realize Mott was still alive. Isn't treason punishable by execution?"

"He's been left alive because of a loophole, but it's suspected that Reconquista had a hand in the escape. Mott was the only noble who escaped, others were commoners, so it's possible they were trying to get recruits."

"Well, they probably are having a hard time keeping the public happy since they're having so many internal issues with so many members leaving or dying. Do you think it has to do with the spy here?"

She shook her head. "No, I think this and that are unconnected. Principal Osmond hasn't had any news to give on that, so just be vigilant. I'm sorry for dumping so many things on you right now, it's just-"

He waved his hand, smiling at her. "Just that you need your own spy here?" At her small nod, he nodded back. "I haven't had any luck finding any info on that, but then again I kind of passed it off to the teachers and haven't been trying very hard."

"Does your 'Familiar of Zero' not give any clues? Or have events snowballed too far now?"

He wanted to make a comment about Tabitha being the only spy in the show, but he wasn't about to throw her under the bus for a meaningless passing comment. "All I know is that there are several people who absolutely are not traitors. Tabitha, Louise, Kirche, Guiche, Montmorency, Kelly, and Frances. I don't know enough about the other students to really have a guess." Well, he knew some, but if he had to be completely truthful, he still wasn't entirely sure about Ludwig or the Unnamed Siblings, and he had never even met a third-year yet.

"...I'll remember those names and report them back to Guiteau later. Well, I can't spend any more time talking with you, so I have to go now." She smiled sadly, her arms lowering to her sides. "...Goodbye, David."

He grinned, before leaning back to rest his head on his pillow. "Good luck, Henrietta."

As she left, he pondered the things she'd talked about. Some mystery person sanctioned by the royal family personally to come here. Mott escaping, which wasn't very dangerous anymore with his losing his status as a worm for Reconquista, but he still was a capable mage despite his arrogant exterior. Too many unknown variables with the organization. Sheffield being silent after his last message.

The problems were only mounting, and the more countries got involved, the more complicated it became. He needed to take some time to actually think things through soon, otherwise New Divide would just be in way over his head.


	150. William de Gaul

**So, the good news is, I'm alive and everyone's safe. The bad news, while we do have power and air conditioning, we have no idea how long it'll be until we get WiFi back. Whole city's basically on lockdown from floodwaters and stuff. I'm writing on a mobile hotspot right now, so chapters may be a bit random until we get actual internet back. Could be hours, could be weeks. We'll just have to see.**

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David was released that same day, having been lucky enough to not have sustained damage from the battle. Rest was all he needed, thanks to Ludwig's attack not being a particularly strong one. However, now that he was out, he had a lot to think about as he walked down the hall alongside Louise towards their dorm.

"She told you about William, didn't she?" the girl asked, and he shrugged, crossing his arms behind his head. "I'm not sure what to make of it...I knew the princess trusted us, but I didn't think she'd consider us worthy of handling such a major situation."

"Well, considering I don't yet know who exactly this guy is, I can't really say much. But let's not talk about stuff like that openly. What if someone were to overhear?" They weren't being very loud and nobody was around, but in a world where magic was normal, there was no telling who might be listening in.

"You'll know him when you see him." she replied, before going quiet, looking forward as they walked in silence.

David looked at her, blinking in surprise. Her tone and the way she carried herself felt...different somehow. Maybe it was because he never really paid attention to her, but she acted nothing like she had a few months ago. Even though she still retained the same childish face and high-pitched voice, she still seemed more mature than before. What had changed?

Maybe it was simply that his choosing to neglect his familiar duties had forced her to become more independent. Maybe her being away from her iron-willed mother and strict family had let her come out of her shell. Maybe she was simply more confident now that she knew Henrietta trusted her with a secret mission like this. In any case, it was weird seeing her like this. Unsettling, almost.

His runes lit up at his thoughts, but there was no pain this time, so he ignored them, simply setting his hand in his hoodie pocket to muffle the light. No need to worry her over nothing.

~~~In the dorm room~~~

David could do little but simply stand and stare at the man standing in front of him, unsure how to react. Of all people, he hadn't expected William de Gaul to be this one…

Wales on the other hand had no uncertainty in his response, his face lighting up in a grin as he laughed, waving his hands out to either side. "David! How have you been? I heard you got yourself hurt again, glad to see you're back up and ready!"

The Gandalfr took the time to look over the Albion prince's new appearance. He was clearly in disguise, but since he already knew what the man looked like normally, it was a little more obvious who he was.

He wore a school uniform that was just a size too big, enough to mask his actual body shape while not being uncomfortable, and by some means, most likely magical, his eyes had been changed to a dark brown, while his hair was slicked back and kept under a fez, colored black to match the mantle of his uniform. A third-year, then. It was a good thing he still looked young enough to be a student, though then again, David was a first-year despite being two years older than everyone else in his class.

"Um, yeah, it wasn't that big a deal...It's good to see you again, William." he finally said, and Wales laughed, shaking his head.

"Don't be so formal! I asked to be sent here because you're both my friends, so just act like you used to!"

Louise sighed as she made her way to the bed, sitting on it and waving her hand. "He's been like this since he got here, I don't understand how he has such boundless optimism considering the reason he came."

David nodded to her, before shrugging and stepping forward, allowing himself to be swept off his feet by the force of the man embracing him, a short but uncomfortable exchange that left him winded, stepping back to regain his balance once he was back on the ground.

"How's the _Eagle_?" he asked, and Wales chuckled, sighing as he sat down on the couch.

"Sorry, I know this is your bed, but there's no other chairs here. Honestly, what kind of lavish noble room has only one seat?" he stated, humming to himself for a few seconds before answering the question. "Minerva's the official captain now, I've retired from my position. Whatever's going on there is her choice to handle. I couldn't go back even if I wasn't a marked man."

"You're not concerned that Reconquista will go after them?"

Wales laughed, shaking his head rapidly. "You want my honest opinion? I think they'd be stupid to go after her. Give that woman any power and she becomes a vicious predator. It wouldn't surprise me if the _Eagle_ joined the war effort now that it's under her command, it was already armed to the teeth in case of pirates before."

"...Minerva's a scary person, isn't she?" He hadn't had much chance to get to know the woman when they'd travelled on the airship, but she seemed far more serious than this man sitting in front of him, who barely acted older than Louise.

"Yeah, she is. But she took orders well and did her job. I don't think there's any reason to worry." His expression suddenly changed, his grin dropping to a frown as he sighed again, this time heavy and with a note of grimness in his voice. "I'm more concerned about how they'll react when they find out Tristain has Dad and me under its wing. With my uncle dead, the blame will just go onto Henrietta's shoulders."

David nodded, and Wales shifted to let him sit down next to him as Louise snapped her fingers together to get their attention.

"I still don't really like that the princess is in a relationship with you, but she's my leader so I'll do what it takes to protect her. And since she loves you, I'll keep you safe as well. That's what the mission was about, wasn't it?"

So Henrietta must have told her about that while he was asleep. That saved explaining, at least. "I don't think it'll be as dangerous as she made it seem. Reconquista is struggling to stay afloat right now, with Cromwell dead and Wardes-" He bit his lip to stop himself, but Louise oddly just picked up the sentence without skipping a beat.

"Wardes is missing and considered too dangerous to let live. They put out wanted posters while you were asleep, so everyone knows about him now. It's sad, he was a super trusted person and captain of one of the royal guard groups, but I guess spies can be anywhere, can't they?"

His eyes widened at the venom in her voice. Absolutely no conflict in her statement, as if she had no love for the man. How was that possible? Wasn't he her fiancee? Surely she at least cared a little about his betrayal, more than just as a citizen learning about a higher official being an enemy.

Seriously, what had happened while he was asleep? There was no way she'd changed this much without him realizing until just now!


	151. Fitting In

With all but a handful of the first-year class having returned home, the remainder, those who had chosen to stay behind for the summer, had little to do. By the time David woke up, Guiteau had already congratulated Ludwig on winning the tournament and the Germanian had returned home, leaving just three of the class remaining.

Now, David, Frances, and Katie were in the familiar field, having joined in a cookout that some of their upperclassmen had started. The idea of the noble students grilling their own food was odd, but the third-years handling the cooking seemed to enjoy it, so he wouldn't fault them for anything. Besides, there's never a reason to turn down food.

It helped that this was an event informal enough that no one wore their mantles, opting instead to wear the uniforms below the capes. Standard white shirts and dark pants or skirts were everywhere, and the change was especially pronounced in groups like Katie's.

David had never really pain much attention to it, but seeing Katie standing next to Guiche and Montmorency really made him realize that the two girls looked very similar. He knew they were unrelated, but there had to be some trick of genetics at play there, and they seemed aware of it as they both teased the golemancer, who awkwardly switched between them as he struggled to figure out who was who.

Frances, naturally, was more reserved than the blonde, choosing to associate instead with Tabitha and a couple third years that David didn't recognize, talking over some sort of new book that had come out most likely. He hadn't really pinned the boy to be a bookworm, but then again, he still really didn't know a whole lot about him.

For now, David was alone, sitting on the ground surrounded by the familiars he had made friends with. It had been a while since he'd gotten to come here, and it showed in their close quarters, with Verdandi sitting on his lap, the heavy mole preventing him from escaping the onslaught of Flame's ridged face bumping repeatedly into his face and body.

The salamander may be a reptile, but he had a very mammalian instinct, and he only stopped when David rained pets down on his scaled head, the familiar barely keeping his excitement contained enough not to fling around the flaming tip of his tail.

Sylphid, meanwhile, acted with a little more reserve, though she still remained close enough that her wing brushed against his back while she laid sprawled over the ground.

All in all, it was a nice peaceful way to reconnect with the group. Ever since going on that failed negotiation mission, he really had been ignoring the animals in favor of the human students. He'd forgotten how nice it was to simply sit in silence with them for a while.

Of course, he couldn't exactly do that with other people around, and he looked up as Kirche walked to him, Flame reacting by jumping off the boy, shuffling over to his master, who squatted to run her hand along his back.

"I didn't know you were friends with Flame." she said, grunting as she sat down on the grass, crossing her legs and letting the salamander curl up in the space.

David smiled, setting his hands down on Verdandi's large head, the mole creating a low hum in happiness at the contact. "I'm friends with a lot of the bigger familiars. Not really with Robin though." Montmorency's frog tended to avoid the large ones, and he rarely even saw it around anymore.

Kirche laughed at the statement. "You don't hold a grudge for him dragging you to my room back when you first came here?"

David blinked, and it took him several seconds to remember what she was even talking about before he waved his hand, chuckling. "Don't worry about it, I had totally forgotten. Besides, if I held any grudge it would be toward you since you ordered him to capture me, and we're friends. Aren't we?"

She smiled, looking down as Flame produced a low rumbling purr at her touch. "Yeah, I'm not going to chase after you. I only go after guys in my grade level after all...plus I'll let Tabitha have you."

"I don't think Tabitha really cares all that much either way. We haven't talked much since Gallia." Come to think of it, both of the twins had avoided him since he became an official student. Tabitha with her hardly appearing except to spectate the end of the tournament, and Casper with her up and vanishing after Guiteau spooked her away. He briefly pondered if he had some sort of curse never to get along with an Orleans, but waved the thought away. "Haven't gotten a chance to talk to you much either."

Kirche nodded, running her hand along Flame's back while she spoke. "I've been meaning to get back to you on that challenge I gave you when you visited me in the infirmary. We have to duel some time, I'm curious to see what kind of style everyone's favorite familiar has developed."

"Well, I ended up getting myself hurt anyway, so I've still got some time before I can fight properly. Plus, I kind of have a few other people I've promised duels with eventually." He briefly pondered where that knight under Agnes' command was now. Cheri, if he remembered correctly. They hadn't talked much but she was someone he was particularly excited to fight. Anyone who Agnes considered worthy of training had to be impressive. Of course, that also meant she was probably leagues ahead of him despite being younger.

"True, and I want to see you fight Tabitha first." she replied, and he blinked in confusion.

"Why? Tabitha and I barely even talk much, I doubt she'd be interested in-"

"She came to watch the tournament, didn't she? You really think she went there because she cared about any of the other contestants?" the fire mage replied, before laughing. "You should have seen how depressed she got when you got yourself knocked out. She didn't leave her room until she heard you were safe."

David was about to reply, before the presence of another person walked towards them, chuckling at the sight of the two sitting with their laps occupied. "Do you mind me joining in here? I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Without waiting for an answer, Wales sat down cross-legged in front of them, grinning at the two. "Hello, David. Mind introducing me to your friend here?"

Wales had decided to join in the cookout in order to get to know some of the other students and make himself seem less of a suspicious entity, and until now he'd been milling around the field conversing with random people, having only just now gotten here. David smiled, waving his hand to motion in Kirche's direction.

"William, meet Kirche. Kirche, William." he stated, and the two bowed to each other briefly before the Albionian smiled.

"Triangle-class wind." he said, and she nodded.

"Triangle fire. What's your exception? Mine's water."

"I can use all elements, but I can't fuse with earth. I have a lot to learn still." he replied, and David grinned,

"You two got along fast. Sorry I can't be in the triangle club, I'm just here with one spell."

Wales smiled, reaching to pat the Gandalfr's back. "You're a void familiar, I'd say that's more unique than anything we can do. I had to train for years to use a sword, you can master it by just picking it up."

Kirche blinked. "You know about his void?" she asked, and Wales nodded, hesitating briefly as he thought over an explanation.

"I'm Louise's cousin. There wouldn't be any record of me, I'm on the paternal side."

Well, technically he hadn't lied, just changed some details around. It was odd to think, but Louise and Wales really were distantly related. Not nearly as close as he was to Henrietta, but still they both carried Brimir's bloodline.

Kirche thought it over, before shrugging. "Well, it's not really a secret anyway, I guess. Didn't know Louise had any family outside the Valliere estate though. Then again, she doesn't talk much about her family."

"What is yours like? Forgive me, but I don't recognize anyone named Kirche."

She swished a hand to adjust her hair and hummed before responding. "You can probably tell since I'm dark-skinned, but I'm not Tristainian. I'm from the Anhalt-Zerbst district, it covers all of Tristain's east border."

"Oh, I see. I haven't many any Germanians, the Gaul estate is on the coast. I wasn't even aware Germania had districts."

David blinked in surprise at the genuine statement. Shouldn't the heir to the throne have knowledge of other countries?

"It's a big country and there's a lot of people, and Germania doesn't do estates like Tristain and Gallia. So there's districts with their own governments. It's honestly too confusing for me even though I'm the heir to mine…"

"Wait, you're royalty?" David asked, shocked at the revelation, and Kirche laughed, shaking her head.

"No, no, nothing like that. It's more like...Like a parent passing down their business to their son. Sort of like that."


	152. Pet the Good Dragon

It was nice to see Wales getting along with people, as once Verdandi and Flame had gotten bored of sitting on their respective humans, the trio had started wandering around the field, letting him interact with the other students.

David, meanwhile, held back, having obtained food from the students manning the grills and now simply stood still, only giving Wales a few cursory glances while he looked around the field as he ate.

Even with the things Henrietta had mentioned looming over his head, it was nice to have a period of peace. And to everyone here, he was not a spy for the royal family, nor was he particularly notable for anything. The one thing he had done that was publicly recognized was his defeat of Fouquet, and that had all but been forgotten at this point even by those who had been on that mission.

Since Albion, he was David the student rather than New Divide. He might as well act like it as long as he could.

He was broken by his thoughts by the feeling of bumping against his back, and he turned around, blinking before smiling at the rhythm dragon standing behind him.

He raised his arm to run his hand along the top of her snout, chuckling at the soft cooing the dragon made. "Sorry, Sylphid. Guess I was ignoring you a bit, wasn't I?"

The indignant sound coming from her throat made her opinion on the matter clear, and he turned his attention to Kirche, who had laughed as she as watching the interaction.

"You two really get along, don't you? I don't even see Tabitha petting her as much as you do."

"She's super intelligent, but animals are animals. Pets love to be touched, so you should take any opportunity to do so. I think there's some psychological thing about bonding with humans, but I'm not exactly a behavioral psychologist."

"Did you work with animals in your world?" she asked, and he shook his head, returning his attention to the dragon, who had bumped her beak into his chest to remind him she was there.

"My family have a few pets. You kind of learn things just by interacting with them, even if you're not an expert. By the way, that does remind me...What exactly is the purpose of familiars?"

Kirche tilted her head at the question. "Hm? What do you-Oh, Founder…" She was cut off as Sylphid's head darted forward, grabbing the meat on the plate David was balancing in his other hand, and the dragon jumped away, oddly spry for such a big animal as she bolted from the scene, leaving David dazed and confused at what had just happened.

The fire mage had to speak between giggles now, having to bend over to keep herself from laughing too hard. "S-So, was that also something pets do?"

"...Yes. They do like to act all sweet and then steal your food. Guess that's true in all worlds." He sighed at the empty plate, before taking the time to walk over to a table and leave it there before heading back. "So, since that's over with and now I'm hungry, any answer to my question?"

"Hmm, the one about why we have familiars?" she asked, and he nodded. The girl tapped her bottom lip a few times as she looked up in the sky, mulling over the question. "Well, I'm not the best to ask about it, but it's probably something about testing a new mage's capability for high-level magic. Summon Servant's not a spell that uses runes, but it's a pretty complicated one. It uses every basic elementless spell in its formula."

"So it's a special spell, not like something like Golem?"

"Yeah, I think so…" Her hand balled into a fist, rapping against the side of her head. "Again, I'm no expert, especially not at summoning spells, but I think it's just meant to show off a mage's skill, and whatever you get usually reflects back on the mage."

"Like how you got a salamander, and Tabitha got a dragon?"

She nodded, crossing her arms in thought. "And back when we did the ritual, we thought Louise was pathetic because her familiar was some commoner, but look how that's turned out. Now that I look back, summoning a human is a pretty weird thing to accomplish. I can't think of anyone who has done it in recent history."

"It's a void thing, I'm pretty sure anyone who isn't a void mage can't summon humans."

"Yeah, that's probably the case. Not that it's all that exciting, honestly. I always expected that void mages would be super special all-powerful entities, but Louise is just kind of...there."

He laughed, running the list he knew of through his head. Louise may be a pretty basic mage despite her talent in elementless casting, but it was very much true that void could seed some very powerful people. Joseph and Vittorio were current examples of that.

"She'll grow into it. It's a pretty limiting system since you can't use elements with it, but the spells they can use are pretty overpowered if used right." He held his hand up, raising a finger for each example. "If I'm right in my research, there's Explosion, Scrying, World Door, Warp…"

She blinked at the list. "Scrying's exclusive to the Pope, isn't it? And I've never heard of Warp...Guess your research is better than mine."

"Oh, you've done research too?" He grinned at her. "What, wanting to get to know Louise better since you've been ignoring her the past year?"

The girl blinked, before grinning mischievously. "Hey, I'll have you know I was watching her. I've always kept tabs on everyone in school. All guys are targets and all girls are rivals. You know how people like me are."

"You've gotten better over the last few months at least, haven't you? And I know you're close with Tabitha."

She laughed, shifting to hold her hands at her hips. "No, I'm just better at scheduling things so my actual friends don't notice! I'm not going to change who I am just because someone showed up from another world and rejected my advances, you know. People don't just suddenly become different when someone new appears, that's more fiction than reality."

"I guess you're right. It's pretty unreasonable to think you can change someone completely. Well, I've gotten more open since coming here, so I don't really care what you do with your free time. Everyone's entitled to do what they like to."

"What do you do with yours? I hardly ever see you, it's like you don't exist when you're not around."

He thought it over, before shrugging. "Training, reading, sleeping. I don't have a very interesting life when I'm not doing something important. Back home I'd also be watching anime and YouTube, but there's no electricity or internet here, so I can't really do that. It's probably the weirdest thing about living here. There's not really ready access to anything."

She stared for several seconds, before he waved the statement off. "If something I say doesn't make sense, just ignore it. It's not like it's relevant anymore, and even I may as well just pretend stuff from my world doesn't exist. I've gotten used to living here, and while I would like to go home, there isn't a very high chance of it happening." He tapped his chin a couple times. "Hmm, that reminds me, I wonder when the next eclipse is…"

He hadn't even thought about it, and the glowing on his left hand told him that it wasn't just his own memory that was faded. Perhaps it was the familair bond actively trying to make him forget his past, but until now, he legitimately hadn't even thought about his life on Earth in a long time.

It wasn't particularly worrying right now, but he made a note to come up with a solution. He was still planning on eventually going back after all, it's just that right now he had a lot of other things to deal with before he could leave.


	153. The Sword's Hero

"You got along well with everyone, didn't you?" David asked as he sat on the ground facing the couch, holding Derf in hand and running a cloth along the blade, cleaning it while he talked to the Albionian sitting on his couch.

"It's always smart to make allies no matter where you go, and there's nothing wrong with having friends. I never really had the opportunity to meet new people before, and the people here are nice. Many of the nobles I interacted with in Albion were arrogant and haughty, but the ones here are...more human. It's difficult to explain."

David laughed at the statement, shaking his head. "No, I get that. When I first came here I thought they were the same way, but once I got to know them, they're pretty nice. There's a few exceptions, but the only people I really hate are adults outside the academy."

The prince hummed in thought. "Children are impressionable, but they also are a force of change. Once they leave that age where they obey their parents completely and think for themselves, and once enough of them are in one place together, that's when new ideals start to form. I don't think the students here will grow up to be like the adult nobles we have today."

"I'm not interested in being a criminal." Louise stated, adjusting her position to sit up, hanging her legs down the side of the bed as she joined the conversation. "People like Mott and Wardes were trusted by the throne, and they just decided to turn their backs on their country. If that's what nobles do, then I'm perfectly fine with changing that definition."

"Not all nobles are bad. The princess is kind and just, and even a hardshell like Karin or Centurion is still a good person. You must not let the worst people overcome the best." Derf chimed in this time, the familiar clanking of the crossguard bringing a smile to David's face. He hadn't heard the sword speak in so long, it felt weird being able to hear it again.

Louise, however, frowned at the statement, more interested in the actual words rather than who was saying them. "That's easy for you to say, you don't have to deal with people. You get to look at everything objectively."

"I have to deal with my partners, and I've experienced both extremes. Some of the worst people in the world wielded me, and likewise did some of the best. I have a good standpoint to judge from because I have been held by people as great as Gunther Bloodborne, and as weak in will as Francine de la Valliere. A bad person is not just someone who commits treason, or who is strict in life. Some of the most destructive people were those who simply were too ignorant or too weak to make a decision when the time comes."

"You have some pretty strong opinions for someone who doesn't remember most of their history, don't you?" David asked, and the sword laughed, clanking a few times before responding.

"I don't need memory to recognize the kind of person my partner is. One touch with the Gandalfr's runes active and I know everything I need to."

"And what kind of person did you see me as?" It was interesting talking to the sword. After all, other than the Water Spirit, this intelligent blade was the only thing alive in Brimir's era that still was around. If it remembered anything, or spoke of things it did remember but chose not to, it could be invaluable for information. Then again, perhaps it chose not to tell any Gandalfrs about its history for a reason.

"Do you really want to know?" the sword asked, and he nodded, causing it to laugh again. "Well, then I'll tell you. From the time you first picked me up in the bargain bin of that store to the time you're finally cleaning my blade, my opinion hasn't changed."

"And that opinion is?"

A silence that was very clearly intended to mess with him followed before it finally opened its guard again. "You are without a doubt the least like Ivaldi of any of my partners. I'll let you take that as you will, to explain further would be to break a promise Sasha made long ago."

"Are you the void sword Derflinger that Henrietta has told me about?" Wales asked. "She's told me about you, but to be honest I didn't quite believe it. I've never heard of an intelligent sword that could speak before."

"Aye, most of my kind are simple magic tools used to store spells. I was created with the intent to be wielded by a specific person, using the magic of Brimir and the spirit of a light elf, and so I am a special weapon."

"What is it like to hold an entity able to think for itself? I've never met one after all."

David grinned, removing the cloth and setting it aside before holding the sword up, the blade horizontal and sharp side facing himself. "Go ahead and try. Best way to find out is to do it, right?"

"Well...I suppose you're right. I'll take you up on that offer." The man sat up, and Louise's back stiffened while she watched closely, also curious as to what could happen. Would the man collapse? Would he be burned by the contact? Would he-

It was very much anticlimactic as Wales easily lifted it, almost too easily as he'd been expecting a much heavier blade, nearly throwing it in the air before regaining his balance, thankfully having been seated when he tried.

Now, he held the sword pointing forward, the blade itself parallel to the ground as he looked over it with awe.

"It's a good weapon." he stated, standing up and posing with it, though his form was poor even to David's untrained eyes. He was self-taught after all, he had no instructor on the ways of the sword. "Not what I would use, but it's suitable for a warrior who is neither graceful nor bestial. I can see why it was desired by so many before it was lost."

"Oh, go on. Compliment me more. My partner doesn't do so often enough, I quite like this treatment!" Derf stated, laughing as Wales performed a few practice swings. "Hmm, but your form is weak and your grip would cause me to fall from your hands in combat. You are a user of longswords, aren't you?"

Wales blinked in surprise, before smiling, adjusting to set his feet next to each other and hold the sword upwards in front of him, closing his eyes in concentration. "You could tell that just from how I hold you? Impressive."

"A good swordsman can tell just by looking at someone what they're best suited for. Louise is best with a fencing style, and had he not been the Gandalfr's vessel, David would be a competent shamshir or scimitar user, but since he has the runes, he is proficient with any type provided he can touch them directly. Unfortunately that means he can't wear gloves, so he can't be fashionable!"

Daid laughed, grunting as he pressed a hand to his knee to stand up, stretching as he took the sword back from the other man. "Well, it's a good thing I don't want to wear gloves, then. Come to think of it, I haven't really seen anyone wearing gloves. Is it not a thing here?"

"It's been really warm since last summer." Louise replied, flopping on her back and spreading her arms to either side. "Even in the winter, our cold-weather uniforms were all we needed. Nobody's crazy enough to wear full gloves and coats in that kind of conditions."

"Really? Is it predicted to stay warm this year too?"

The girl blinked, looking up from where she lay. "...Predicted?" she asked in confusion. "How is anyone supposed to predict the weather?"

"...Right, forgot you don't have that technology. Well, hopefully it doesn't stay too hot all year, it could mess up farms if that happens."

"It's easier to deal with too much heat than too much cold. Magic can handle heat. It can't bring crops back from the dead."


	154. Rant

**I've been wondering, do you guys like me going back to semi-daily chapters, or did you prefer when I posted semi-weekly?**

* * *

As had become fairly common during their sparring sessions, Guiche had brought along Montmorency, who sat to the sidelines and talked with Wales, who had gotten curious after hearing about these matches and decided to follow along to see what was up.

Now, he split his attention between the two boys' fighting, David having chosen his knife while Guiche continued using his longsword, and the blonde girl sitting next to him, who was commenting on their fighting styles and her opinion on what they should be doing.

"I know David is kind of cheating since he has Gandalfr, but a longsword really shouldn't be going even against a knife. Guiche is smart, but he tends to get stuck in ruts so it's hard for him to modify his strategies. I get it, I'm kind of like that, but then again I don't have any weapon training so…"

Wales chuckled at her commentary, nodding in agreement. "You may not have training, but you're very observant. Maybe you aren't fit to be a front-lines fighter, but anyone would be glad to have you as backup. You're a water mage, right?"

She nodded, flipping one of her air ringlets back behind her shoulder idly. "I'm only a Line-class, but yes, I am. I'm not as good as Malicorne even though his affinity is Earth, but I'm okay at doing fusion...It doesn't work perfectly without my partner being Guiche, though…"

Wales nodded, humming in thought, and his eyes briefly narrowed before returning to normal. "I suppose not everyone will be a master at such a young age. And what about Wellspring magic? I can sense that you have some degree of control with it."

It was a casual tone that he'd selected, but she froze for a brief second, before laughing. "I...didn't know anyone else knew about that word...I've never used it myself, but my parents have mentioned it before. I tended to ignore them though, but it's strange to hear that word after so many years. Are you a user, William?"

He laughed, shifting to lean backwards and sighing as he looked at the two sparring partners. "No, but it's something I wish to learn. Everyone in my extended family can use it, so I wanted to learn it while I'm here at the academy. Oh, well, if nobody here can, then I suppose I should just give up."

"I...don't think you should. It's a useful skill to have, and I don't know much about you, but I can tell you'd be a great user. It's too bad there's only a few users…" She blinked, before shaking her head. "I think it's called Chevalier Style here, though. Where I'm from it's also called Wellspring, but I don't think there's a difference. Are you aiming to be a Chevalier?"

"Yeah, I am. I've seen some pretty bad things, things that could be prevented if I had Chevalier Style. I want to learn it so I can stop them...And if I have to become a part of the rank to do it, then that's what I'll aim for. I'm sure you have the same opinion, don't you?"

"I'm not really interested in learning it, unless it just happens to be instinctively ingrained in me. I'm happy just living life in Guiche's shadow." She smiled, shifting forward to lean with her elbows on her thighs, hands laced together as her expression went serious. "I know exactly what you mean, though, about preventing tragedies. I want to change the world, to make all these corrupted nobles just go away and be replaced by a new generation. I don't want to dismantle the royal system or anything, just switch the names and ideals. But I've never been very active in my goals. Before I came to the academy, I was always surrounded by people who didn't think there was a reason to change, but ever since coming here...I've realized something important."

"And what is that? That your goals are within reach here?"

She smiled, shaking her head. "Yes and no. This is truly a special place, filled to the brim with people who think like me. There's a few bad apples, but almost everyone within these walls wants the same change that I do, and they all have their own methods and ability to get to it. They all have their own dreams and ambitions, but they all lead to the same place. I'm not really like that. I don't have a desire of my own other than to stay with the person I love. My dream is skipping the middleman and going straight to the heart of everyone's wishes. So, I don't have to do anything. Whether I act or simply fade from history as just a housewife to a powerful earth mage, I know the world will become what I want it to. I know most people hate feeling useless, but to me, that's the best thing that can possibly happen. Whether I'm there to see it or not, the world will change for the better, and I can rest easy knowing that I was on the right side of history."

Wales was silent for several seconds as he digested the information she'd given him, before he smiled, crossing his arms in thought. "I don't know how much I agree with you on that. I too am one of those who wish to see corruption disappear and the world shift in favor of the commoners, but I don't think it's realistic to wish for that. Sure, it's a great thing if it did happen, and I will fight as much as I need to accomplish it, but it has to be a gradual change. Think about how many arrogant and greedy nobles there are. Not only are there some good people who still are a part of that group, but there's a significant population like that, and some business owning commoners or military personnel are that way too. If they were to simply disappear, the world would be thrown into chaos. And I don't think inaction will solve it either...Yes, everyone wants it, but what if too many people think the way you do, that things will change if they're there or not?"

"Have you ever heard the saying that 'The familiar makes the mage'?" she asked, and he blinked, surprised by the sudden change in subject.

"Yes, but-"

"Mine is a frog. A useless little amphibian who can't fight, can't carry a message, can't really do anything to benefit anyone. I thought like you did, that I wanted to be a part of the change the world and be a fighter for good, but when I got Robin as my familiar, it was a wake up call."

She sighed, holding her hands to her cheeks to balance her head as she watched her boyfriend fighting the Gandalfr. "I'm a supporter, that's all there is to it. I'm worthless as a fighter, so I should instead focus on protecting other people in their quests. Guiche's familiar is one who hunts for gems and can sneak into places humans can't, it's a perfect match for an earth mage who wants to show how special he can be. It's why it always bothered me so much when he'd cheat on me, and why I was so happy when I found out he had quit completely thanks to David beating him when he first came to this world."

"Are you friends with David?" Wales asked, and she laughed, waving her hand.

"We know each other, but only from brief interactions through Guiche. David is himself a familiar, and he represents all the ideals of Ivaldi. I think he'll be the front runner of the changes in the world, leading everyone else to a new era. I want to watch, but I'll do it from behind Guiche's back, in the shadows with everyone else who doesn't make the cut. I'm a noble, yeah, but not all nobles are equal. Some of us simply aren't meant to do great things."

"...Well, it's not my place to argue what you should or shouldn't do. You sound a lot like my cousin, she's a lot like that. Never sticking her neck out, trying everything she can to stay hidden from the world. It's kind of sad to see her do that, but with you...I feel like you're a lot more secure in your personal world than she is."

"What's her name?" she asked, tilting her head to look at the man.

"Tiffania. I don't meet her very often, but she's always been very shy."

She blinked, before smiling, and giggled as she held a loose fist to her mouth at the blatant statement. "Well, tell Tiffania that she's not alone. And tell her to try living a little. I can tell from your tone that she's not really living up to her potential. Sure I'm not cut out for being a hero, but I bet she is."


	155. Guiche vs Wales

"You're getting better!" Guiche said, laughing as he jumped back to dodge David's swipe. With this being just a sparring match, the Gandalfr runes were dim, despite him holding the weapon. It was a good opportunity to train, and the noble's compliment was absolutely true.

When he had trained on his own, David only had straw dummies to practice against, but ever since agreeing to spar with Guiche, his basic understanding of combat had improved by leagues, guided by the earth mage's prior training in swordsmanship and Derf's tendency to chatter on about positioning and grip when the sword was being used. It was only helping him that his runes didn't activate during a simple sparring match, it meant that he could actually learn how to fight rather than simply relying on Gandalfr to do the work for him.

He still didn't really understand how the runes allowed him to use any weapon, but by this point he'd given up trying to learn how they worked. In a world where everyone learned to defend themselves, he didn't need to start asking why things were as they were, and instead make the effort to catch up.

Back when they first started these sessions, his runes had lit up a lot, and he had needed to make a conscious effort not to let himself get too worked up, or else he'd actually hurt his friend, but over time, as this became more and more regular, the Gandalfr had settled down, acknowledging that there was no struggle here. Once it had stopped, there'd been a period where Guiche had been the one who needed to hold back, and David had often lost, but now, after weeks of this partnership, he was at the level that he could compete with Guiche without tiring for hours, long enough that he could go all out and win at least half the time.

It wasn't exactly at the level of masters like Agnes or Wardes, but it was proof that he was improving. At this rate, he would soon be able to handle trouble even if he didn't have a weapon handy, and that scene from the canon with Agnes training Saito echoed in his head. He wouldn't always have a weapon to fight with, so he had to develop the quick thinking and muscle memory to pick up anything around him and use it. When he could do that, he could comfortably accept Henrietta's offer of knighthood...not that it was a goal that could be easily tested.

"I'm trying!" David replied, laughing as the two rushed towards each other again, before blinking as they both suddenly found themselves frozen in place, their feet having been stopped by a ridge of soil that had formed and a wind barrier that briefly passed between them.

The two turned to Wales, who had stood up and started walking to them, wand in hand as Montmorency watched from her seat. The man smiled, waving his wand and casting a chant that reversed the soil back to its original position, and the two lowered their weapons and relaxed as he laughed.

"I only came to watch, but Montmorency is quite interesting to listen to, and now I'm in the mood to get involved. David, I've already seen your strength, but if you don't mind, I'd like to have a magic duel with your friend here."

The two blinked, before Guiche grinned, and his sword dropped to the ground, melting into it as if nothing was there as he cast his storage spell, letting the sword be swallowed up into a pocket somewhere below the soil as he always did. He never had a sheath for it and only used it here, but even so, whenever he summoned it back, it was always as sharp as ever, even cleared of any dust or chipping from their matches. Just another small, almost unnoticed effect of earth magic.

"I have been curious what you're capable of after hearing from Kirche that you're a Triangle-class. I've only recently learned Line-class magic, but I'm happy to try my luck."

Wales laughed at the statement as David smiled, setting his knife in its sheath on his waist and heading to sit next to Montmorency without a word while the two duellers sized each other up.

"Then, I, William de Gaul, request an official Albionian-style duel with you." Wales stated calmly.

Guiche blinked, before grinning and nodding in recognition. "And I, Guiche de Gramont, accept your request."

Now, the two stood next to each other, close by rather than far away oddly enough.

"You two will be our judges." Guiche said, looking at the spectators, and Montmorency nodded, though David looked between them in confusion.

"Shouldn't there only be one judge?" he asked, and Montmorency laughed.

"Right, you haven't seen the Albionian style used as a duel before, have you?" she asked, and he blinked, turning to look at her as she held a finger up, explaining the rules. "The combatants don't face each other, they perform a targetless combination for the judges, and each judge determines their score in a number out of five. If there's a tie, they go on to another round, until someone gets more total points. The style that you're probably used to is the Gallian style, which is simply a battle until someone loses the ability to fight."

"Is there a different type for every nation?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"The only other one is Carcassone Style, and I have no idea how that one works. I don't really think anyone does, honestly." She shook her head. "Anyway, I'm ready to judge!"

"I guess I am too." David said, shaking his head to clear his thoughts. It could be interesting being the judge for once, and he was curious about Wales' magic...He'd never seen it used in person after all.

"I'll go first." Guiche stated, and Wales nodded, stepping aside as the earth mage turned around, facing away from his competitor and giving a side view to the two judges as he raised his wand arm.

"Earth Wall!" he called, flicking his wand as the ground reacted to the command, forming a panel that stood in front of him as he flicked his wand again. "Feoh. Ger. Valkyrie!"

As usual, his signature golems appeared from the ground, two of them which rushed forward at the barrier, and a series of blows later, the wall broke, collapsing to the ground as the Valkyries faded as well, returning to the ground as Guiche turned to the judges with a grin.

"Three." both said simultaneously, and he frowned in surprise.

"W-Why only three?!"

"It's your signature spell, adding a wind rune to it doesn't make it better." Montmorency stated flatly as David nodded.

"It's a good combat attack, but it's not very showy."

"You guys are so harsh…" he said, before shaking his head. "But I will not admit defeat until I am sure that my score is lower!"

He stepped aside as William took his spot, the man raising his wand and casting the same Earth Wall, reforming the target for his own attack. "Since you chose that method, I'll use a similar one." he stated, smiling as he cast his spell. "Is. Nyd. Hægl. Air Cutter."

The spell was certainly flashier than Guiche's amounting to barely visible crescent-shaped bursts of hydration that shot at the wall, slicing through it like paper and carving chunks out that slid to the ground, leaving the main structure standing but taking a good section out of its mass as he pocketed his wand, turning to face the two.

"Two." Montmorency stated flatly. "It's no fun if you can't really see what's going on…"

David laughed, and crossed his arms. "Five. A spell you can't see that still does physical damage would be an instant hit for any street magician."


	156. Disappearance

After the competition ended, with a resulting score of 3 to 2 in Wales' favor, the group had stopped with their sparring, and now sat cross-legged in the middle of the arena, which after the tournament had ended was returned back to mostly the same as it used to be, albeit without any of the grass and other plants since magic is incapable of creating living things.

Still, the patch of dirt made for a good area for these sparring matches, so David had a feeling he'd be using it as much as possible before the grass grew back in. For now, though, the four weren't using it for the purpose they had earlier, instead deciding to sit in a circle around the center. Guiche and Montmorency chatted about their final exams, which had just ended, while Wales smiled as he watched the two, situated closer to David so he could talk without being overheard.

"It's been a long time since I've had such a feeling of peace." he told his friend, who looked at him as he spoke. "My entire life, even before you know what started, has been a mess of political meetings and solitude from people not on my caste. It's nice to get away from that here."

"What about on the _Eagle?_ " David asked, and he laughed, sighing as he crossed his arms.

"They still mostly treated me as a captain. Minerva especially didn't like my efforts to humanize myself, she just believes it's me playing the fool." He uncrossed his arms, holding them behind him to rest his hands on the ground and shift his weight to lean back. "The life of a noble can be tougher than you think. Even if you're well liked, you're still going to get preferential treatment and your actions get judged way more harshly. Honestly, sometimes I wish I could have just been born a commoner."

"I don't know, you're in a good position to bring about the changes you want. You just have to wait for everything to settle down first. And for that, don't stick your neck out too much, just let us handle it for you. It's a knight's job to support justice after all."

Wales frowned, checking to make sure the blondes were still not paying attention. After noticing that they were still in their own world, he closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and made eye contact with the familiar, his expression more serious now that he had something important to say.

"The conflict with Reconquista doesn't involve you, so why are you so set against them? Didn't you tell me once that your stance is in the middle?"

David frowned, before shaking his head. "I used to think that way, until that whole issue with Londinium happened. Personally witnessing things really changed my perspective on that. I guess it's a pretty selfish reason, but I've accepted that everything I do is for my own gain anyway, so whatever."

Wales chuckled at the reply, thinking it over before responding. "Well, not everyone has to live for other people. Really, everything is inherently selfish if you think about it, so you can hardly blame people for wanting to live life as they want to."

David laughed, shifting as he recognized the familiar words. "Sounds like something Henrietta once had Louise tell me. Is that a common ideal for the Albion branch?"

The man shrugged, looking up as he fished for a good answer. "I think...I think everyone in the family believes it, but not many are willing to admit it. After all, it's reasonable, but saying that you live selfishly often gets misconstrued as implying that you don't care for others. We who think that way know it's a good lifestyle, but it's not one that can be explained easily. I bet before you heard it, you too thought you were wrong for being that way, didn't you?"

David was about to answer, before the four were distracted by his name being called out, and they turned to notice Mr. Colbert walking up to them, dressed in his usual formal uniform even though classes had ended by now, though he did lack his usual staff, probably stored away in his office.

"Yeah?" the Gandalfr asked, and Colbert smiled as he stood by them.

"Forgive me for bothering you, it seems you're enjoying yourselves, but I was looking for Miss Valliere. She wasn't in her dorm, so have you seen her?"

"Louise? No, we've been out here for a couple hours. Maybe she was taking a bath?" Odd, normally she didn't go very far from her dorm, and she'd already confirmed that she was in fact staying over the summer break. He understood that, she wanted nothing to do with her family and they didn't want her around either, so it was a mutual arrangement.

"I didn't hear any running water, and she wasn't at the public restrooms either. Normally I wouldn't bother you, but I know that you and Mister Gaul are staying with her, so I thought you'd know if she went somewhere."

He thought for a few seconds, before shrugging. "Maybe she's just visiting someone else. Did you try Tabitha or Kirche's dorms?"

"Miss Orleans is taking extra lessons with Mrs. Chevreuse, and I believe Miss Zerbst is preparing to go home for the summer. Hmm...Perhaps she is helping her pack?"

"Yeah, that's probably it. She's there occasionally, and if not, then maybe she's looking for you and you just happened to miss each other. What, are you giving her her test results?"

The bald man nodded, humming in concern to himself. "I would tell you to pass it on to her, but as you're a student, it's confidential information now,, so I must tell her directly…"

"Well, hope you find her." he said, turning to Wales. "Did she say anything to...You okay, William?"

Wales' face was paler than usual, though his expression was less obvious, eyes narrowed at the teacher.

"She didn't tell me anything about going anywhere, and I didn't even know Kirche was leaving. I thought she was staying behind, wasn't she?"

"I had heard she was having family troubles, but I don't pry into my students' private lives. That doesn't matter, does it?"

"...No, it doesn't. Good luck finding her, Mr. Colbert." The man sighed, shifting to bring a knee up and resting his arm on it as Colbert smiled, before turning to walk away.

"...What was that about?" Guiche asked. "Why is Kirche leaving such a big deal? You just met her."

Wales sighed, shaking his head as he raised the hand not on his knee to plant on his face, eyes closed in thought.

"It isn't that she's leaving that I'm worried about. It's that Louise might not be there. I have a lot of enemies, and Louise is a relative of mine. Distant, but still close enough that she may be targeted. And she isn't the type to just disappear like that, not without telling anyone."

Guiche blinked, before Montmorency laughed. "Nobody's ever been stupid enough to attack the academy since it was built, I don't think they'd try to get in now just to kidnap her, even if she is a void mage and one of your 'enemies'. There's really not a reason to worry about stuff like that if she's gone for less than an hour. People are free to go places."

"...Yeah, guess you're right…" Wales said, exhaling heavily as he let himself fall to his back, careful not to shift his hat and expose his hair as he looked up at the sky. "No reason to worry about small things like that. I just had a bad feeling, that's all…"

"It's fine to get nervous." Guiche said, grinning. "I can tell by looking at you that you've had a lot of pain in your life. So it's fine to be uneasy until you confirm everyone's okay."


	157. The Search

Despite Guiche and Montmorency helping to calm the concerns of the two boys, their worries only came back as Louise remained absent into the night. Checking into the spots they could think of turned up nothing either, as Kirche hadn't seen her and Siesta had been busy in the kitchens.

Wales' worries only continued to get more and more accurate the longer it took to find the missing pinkette, and though there seemed no sign of a struggle anywhere on campus, the lack of her presence was still obvious. Even the dorm was in its usual condition, not a single paper out of place. It seemed as if she'd simply vanished off the face of the world.

There was little doubt anymore that she had indeed gone missing, but without any apparent struggle and even the Square-class teachers, Guiteau and Colbert, failing to find any sign of unusual magic being used, they had absolutely nothing to go off of.

Now, they could do nothing but wait for information. With Wales having to keep his identity a secret and David simply not having the ability to be of much use.

The boy grit his teeth as he held Derf in hand, the sword sheathed but still raised as if he was going to use it, though with nobody to fight and no confirmation that there even was an enemy, there wasn't a lot of good a weapon would do right now. Still, he stood up in the room, holding it as if he was going to use it, though his runes were dark and the sheath covered the blade from causing any actual damage should he swing it. Not that he was going to, he wasn't stupid enough to take out his anger on the room.

"It's painful being useless, isn't it?" Wales asked, pacing around between the door and the bed, hands clasped behind his back as he stared at the ground while he walked. "If we were in Albion, and there wasn't such a mess going on there, then I could-"

"This isn't Albion and there's no Reconquista here. You're not Wales, you're William, and I'm just a student who can barely use magic."

"What about with New Divide? Don't you-"

"There's no precedent for this in Familiar of Zero. Louise did get kidnapped once in that, but it was a long time from now and it was from a dangerous place. Here, I can't even think of anyone who could get past the academy's security without detection. Is there even anyone like that in Halkeginia?"

"Maybe they were inside to begin with. I doubt that Mott was the only spy for Reconquista."

David sighed, lowering the sword as he shook his head. "I don't think Reconquista is involved here. Fouquet was involved with them, and when we took her down, there was a whole thing about scouring everyone to make sure they were safe, and no new people have entered the academy besides you as far as I know. And obviously I know you aren't a threat since you're an ally and just as much a target as any other important figure."

Wales chuckled at the statement, sitting down heavily on the couch and sighing as he looked up at the ceiling, arms splayed against the armrests. "You sound like Dad, always referring to even close family by their status and potential political importance. It's a good mindset for a war king to have, but it can get kind of cold, can't it?"

David frowned, before exhaling, releasing one hand from Derf's handle, letting the tip of the sheath touch the ground as he held his forehead in his palm. "Sorry, I'm just flustered. I'm still really not used to the whole fighting thing, even though I've been in a couple battles by now…"

The Albionian smiled sadly, adjusting to sit up straight, hands loosely crossed in his lap. "Nobody's really prepared for war except fools and psychopaths. I've been in my fair share of battles in my time as a privateer captain, but even I have never really had a serious fight. I mean, just look at me. I don't have any scars or blemishes anywhere on my body. You've taken more damage than I have, you would know better the true pain of combat than I."

"But I haven't seen anyone important to me hurt before now." the Gandalfr said, sighing as he set Derf against the wall, looking down at the sword as he held his side, where his ribs still had a slight ache from the injury he'd sustained back in the Fouquet fight, and aggravated again with his failed attempt to catch Ludwig's attack. "There's a common saying in my world, and I don't see why it would be different here. It's not the physical part of a war that is the real suffering, it's the destruction of peace and the terror of the survivors that lasts."

Wales nodded solemnly. "Those who die are dead, they feel nothing anymore. It's the living that have to deal with the consequences. Though that kind of logic isn't going to calm the hearts of people who lose loved ones." He shook his head, running his hand up to his hair underneath his hat. "I hope Louise can be found and returned without Henrietta ever finding out. She's had enough people in her family be hurt or worse recently."

David looked at the man and smiled, an expression plastered on in an obvious effort to hide his worry over the void mage. "She'll be fine, and I promised to keep you safe too. The Gandalfr never goes back on his word."

Wales laughed, waving his hand. "This prince can handle himself. Focus on your master, as soon as her location is known, it's your job to save her. Trust me, as much as I want to go in guns blazing, I'm in a tough position. I can't risk anyone recognizing my magic or my face, while you're already known as a wild card who just does whatever he wants to. Besides, isn't it common in stories that the hero finds the one they're looking for by just running around for a few hours?"

David laughed at the question, shrugging in response. "I guess it can't hurt, and running around may at least help clear my mind." He thought for a few seconds, before reaching to grab Derf's sheath again, securing it against his back and heading for the door, though he stopped as he held the knob and turned to the man. "Stay back here, I'll double my efforts for you. We can't let your presence be known if whoever did take her is also after you."

Wales nodded as David quickly opened the door, closing it behind him as he sighed, leaning on the wall for a few moments, eyes closed as he regulated his breathing, before they snapped open again as he became aware of a presence nearby.

Siesta was standing there, on the other side of the door, just watching him in a look that was a mixture of surprise and relief as she smiled, though she frowned again when he jumped back in surprise.

"S-Siesta?!" he asked, hand instinctively reaching for his chest to calm his beating heart. Why had she shocked him so much? She always seemed to pop up in places, he really should have expected it by now.

"Come on, call me Sasaki-chan like you usually do!" she said, blinking at his reaction. "...I wasn't exactly hiding, you know...I've been standing here for a while, I was just about to go talk to you."

"Y-Yeah, I just wasn't-Wait, you were here?" That wasn't good, even if he did trust her, she may have-

She laughed, keeping her hands clasped in front of the apron she usually wore over her maid outfit. "Don't worry, William's secret is safe with me. I may or may not have known about it for a while now...Marteau told me when he first came here, before you woke up. So no need to worry, I'm in the know. Besides, I am technically Louise's personal maid, even if she doesn't actually have me do anything out of the ordinary."

"..." It seemed common for Siesta to be aware of things she shouldn't, but then again, she was a popular staff member and was close with several of the teachers, so it made sense, especially considering the fact that people like Guiteau and Colbert often ignored the difference between noble and commoner with people they trusted.

"I came to help you look for Louise." she said, smiling. "I figured you'd eventually come out to look, so I went ahead and thought of a few places that the others have been neglecting. I know a few that only us commoner staff use, so I figured we'd check there first. If you don't mind me leading, at least."

He blinked, before grinning, regaining his composure as he nodded. "Yeah, lead the way. Better to follow someone who knows what they're doing."


	158. Higher Power

It wasn't very dark yet, still on the tail end of dusk, but the two were currently below the ground, walking through hidden passages designed purely for fast transport of staff. Normally, the area was lit by torches lining the walls, but with it being the end of the day, only a few were still lit, meaning that most of the pathways were pitch black and forcing David to resort to moving by touch, running his hands along the wall as he followed the sound of the maid walking in front of him.

How Siesta could navigate so well was beyond him, but then again, in a path obviously meant for the lower-concern staff, perhaps it was normal to be in the dark even during daylight, and from the regular ticking of her feet against the stone, she seemed confident that she was not going to run into anything.

"Where are we going?" he asked, his voice echoing in the tunnel. "Where even are we? This place is like a maze…"

She didn't stop moving, though her footsteps were closer together as she slowed down her pace. "Yeah, for someone who has never been down here, it's probably hard to follow, but all the staff, especially those of us on kitchen duty, tend to use these passages all the time. It's why we seem to teleport around the campus so quickly, there's entrances everywhere."

"So if there's anywhere Louise might be if she's still on campus, it's under here somewhere?" he asked, and she made a sound of affirmation, since he wouldn't see if she nodded in the darkness.

"Right. And I can further say that I don't think she's in the areas underneath the four dorm towers since there's so many people there, and underneath the central one there's nothing but the entrance to a big library that you can't enter without a square-class mage with you, so I really don't think she's there..especially considering the anti-magic spells all over that area. And Louise is stronger than she looks, so I also don't think that anyone without magic could catch her without a fight, so whoever took her is not familiar with the underground."

"So, we're checking near the entrances?" he asked, and she made another sound before stopping in her tracks, causing him to bump into her before backing up. "Sorry."

"No worries." she replied idly, before going quiet for several seconds. "Hmm...Do you feel that?"

He blinked, copying her and standing still, a hand on the wall as the tunnel was plunged into silence fitting the darkness. "...Wind?" He couldn't feel any, but generally in movies, that was how people find entrances.

She laughed at the question. "No, not wind. The walls are vibrating. Right now we're underneath the training fields, and I doubt anyone is there right now…" Her tone was more serious now that they had some sort of lead to follow. The boy felt her other hand reaching for his, and reflexively shied away, before she laughed again. "Calm down, it's just to keep you from getting lost. I think I can pinpoint the location, but it'll take a few tries and I want to move quickly."

"...Why did you even need to bring me? I can't follow that quickly…"

"She needs a guard." came thee voice of the sword still on his back, which briefly surprised him before he remembered that he'd brought it. "You're a warrior, she's a maid."

"...Yeah, and besides, I know you wouldn't want me to go find Louise without you when I know where she is. That's a little mean, even if you're not super close."

David sighed, before walking to stand beside her, taking her hand and nodding despite the darkness. "Alright, then let's go. About time I do my job as a familiar and protect her for a change."

Siesta laughed, her grip on his hand tightening briefly before she took off, sprinting down the halls as he followed closely behind, letting his legs take him without thinking too much so he wouldn't get tripped up, the sword's sheath bouncing on his back while they ran.

He didn't really know what she was searching for as she occasionally slowed down before continuing on or changing directions, but he had to trust that she knew what she was doing. Down here, it was her domain, the place that she often roamed while he was lazing around on the surface.

Being here would have made him see her in a different light, but honestly, this wasn't all that surprising. Siesta was a smart person, and even though he'd never really seen an example of it, he didn't doubt that her navigational abilities were exceptional. Running around at near top speed in the dark without so much as bumping into walls, and also making sure he didn't do more than graze the sides as they turned corners, it gave a good impression of her normal daily life. There were a lot more staff members than it seemed at first glance, and during the busy days such as when a feast was going on, there had to be dozens of people running around these halls.

Guiding one lost student around was probably easy for her, especially when neither were carrying anything with them.

Another pause as she held her free hand to the wall again, standing still while she tracked the vibrations, which David still couldn't feel but had no reason to doubt.

"We're there." she whispered, quietly enough not to echo too much and letting go of his hand and holding it to the wall, feeling for something above her. "Get your sword out, there's definitely someone else here."

He nodded, unsheathing Derf and holding it in front of him, his runes glowing but producing no light. Not the best way to be stealthy. "What are you doing?"

"Finding a torch button. We're too close now to just blindly run around, with someone else around and Louise somewhere too. I only hear one person, so either she's down here wandering for whatever reason, or she's unconscious and being guarded. So be prepared, as soon as there's light, someone may react. You're the one with the weapon."

"Right." he said, closing his eyes as he heard her make a small victory sound alongside that of stone being moved, and as soon as his eyes had shut, the tunnel was bathed in light originating from a torch situated in a hole on the ceiling.

It took a few seconds for his eyes to adjust to the light, but he grinning as he looked at her, the girl smiling back as she turned to face him. "Looks like nobody's right here, but that shuld give us enough light to search around a few corridors from here."

He nodded, looking around in front of him, sword at the ready as he walked to the nearest corner, peeking behind the wall to see what was there.

His eyes widened at what he saw. Siesta must have been feeling something he couldn't, because she'd lead them right to the missing girl, who he spotted sitting against the wall, arms to either side and legs splayed on the ground in front of her.

"Louise!" he called, running over to her and leaning down, setting Derf on the ground to grab her by the shoulders. "What happened? Are you okay?"

The torchlight was still dim, but it was enough to see that her eyes were closed, her mouth hanging slightly open as her head shook from the motion of him moving her. Her clothes were mostly intact, but her collar was ripped where the pin holding her mantle seemed to have been torn off, the cape missing. "Louise! Wake up!"

Siesta stood by him, bending down to lift one of her hands, touching two fingers to her wrist. "She still has a heartbeat, and she's breathing normally. I think she's under a spell of some kind…"

He sighed in relief, smiling to her. "So she's still fine. That's good, but why is she down here? Who brought her here, and why?" She didn't seem hurt, and other than her long hair being a bit matted and messy, there wasn't anything else unusual about her. "...Siesta?" The maid had gone silent, standing up and facing the hallway ahead of them.

"We're about to find out." she said, a serious tone in her voice, and he was about to ask before he recognized the sound of footsteps coming from the hallway beyond the scope of the dim light.

Someone was moving towards them, shambling slowly in the darkness.


	159. Crombie

Siesta watched the hallway as David stood up, lifting Derf and positioning himself in front of the void mage, who lay unaware on the ground while slowly, whoever had found them walked forward.

Something about the pace and heavy thudding of the footsteps lit up his nerves, Gandalfr reacting strongly to the presence lumbering towards them. Whoever this was, they were not a normal adversary, only growing worried as he recognized what his runes were trying to tell him.

His instinct right now was not to fight as with anyone else. Instead, every muscle in his body was screaming at him to turn tail and run away. For something to terrify an entity designed for combat...Whoever this was may be a bigger threat than anyone else he could think of combined. Maybe not in terms of political influence, but in a direct fight…

He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He couldn't let the runes control him, he wasn't about to run away. He had to protect-

Wait. What was happening here? Normally the runes gave him a serious headache when he even thought of defying Louise, and yet, right now, they were directly telling him to abandon her and save his own skin. He hadn't even known that was possible.

His mind raced for an explanation as the man slowly came into view, and his eyes widened at the sight.

His details were hidden in the shadows, but his face was one that could be immediately recognized. He was well into middle age, and his angular cheeks, sunken eyes, and the characteristic rolled hairstyle were unlike anyone else David had met before, and despite the fact that his face was ashier than usual and his clothing was a simple black cloak covering his thin body, he immediately knew who this was.

"No way...How is he-" He could feel cold sweat on his face now, staring at the man in front of him as he ambled forward at a crawling but steady pace.

"David!" Siesta called, and his attention was snapped away as he found the girl standing up, having knelt to wrap Louise's arm around her shoulder. "I'm going to get Louise out of here, neither of us is fit to deal with him."

"Alright." he replied, his eyes narrowing as he turned to the man, raising the sword in front of him. "And I'll-"

He was interrupted by the maid, who spoke loudly, almost to the point of shouting. "That guy, there's something strange about him. He's-"

"I know who he is. That's Oliver Cromwell." he replied, gritting his teeth. "But how is he here…?" He was supposed to be dead, what was going on?

He blinked, before shaking his head in disbelief. "Wait, it's not that, is it?" Only two things had ever been shown to resurrect the dead in the canon. Tia's unnamed ring, and that which Sheffield held. Had the woman finally made a move against him?

"He probably was here to guard Louise!" The girl stood behind him, torn between convincing him to leave and just running with the other girl, who still hung limply over her shoulder. "You can't beat him, he's-"

"He isn't really a void mage. Gandalfr's not showing any signs of detecting magic in him." Obviously not true, but it was the only thing he could think of that wouldn't accidentally reveal that he'd already fought the man previously. He felt a shudder run down his spine as he recalled when he awoke from that odd trance in Londinium, suddenly finding himself with Derf's blade buried in this man's chest. At the time he'd let it slide, and he was sure Gandalfr had suppressed some of his true emotions towards the incident, but seeing the man standing here now, after what was so clearly a fatal injury…

It really reminded him that, back then, he had not held himself back. Even considering that he was targeting Wardes, not Cromwell, he had still at the time been fully intending to kill the wind mage. There was no hesitation about it, and after the fact, all he had thought of was that he'd failed to accomplish the task.

Now that he stood in front of a man he was sure he'd killed, he was painfully aware of just how little he actually felt about the fact that he had the capacity to kill with this sword. He didn't even think it had anything to do with the runes changing his personality. When he'd been fighting Wardes, it had not even occurred to him to protect Louise, or to help Marianne take down an enemy.

He had simply been getting vengeance, and not only that, but it was revenge for a crime that had not even been committed yet, the murder of Wales Tudor. Gandalfr was not involved here, it was his own rage at events he had seen beforehand, things that he had no proof would actually happen again.

The strangest thing about all that, though, was how calm he was about it. Perhaps he'd already suspected it. Maybe he was always aware that he had those tendencies, and just either chosen to ignore them or simply never had an experience that forced them to come to the surface like being summoned to this world did. Coming here had turned his life around and brought forth all kinds of things he had never realized he was capable of, despite the short amount of time he'd been here.

Standing here, facing a man that should not be alive with a sword that six months ago he'd have never expected to be wielding, was a wake-up call, and though he knew this wasn't the time to be soul-searching, it did make him wonder, what kind of hero was he exactly?

"Partner, watch out!" Derf called, breaking him from his stupor as Cromwell suddenly lunged forward, his hands reaching forward as David turned the sword sideways, catching his hands as they gripped the blade, just barely missing the inside of his palms being hit by the sharp edge.

The man was deathly quiet, the only sounds coming from his heavy motions, though the pounce had not felt physically different than a normal person of his body type...What was going on here?

"Sasaki-chan, just take Louise and get out of here, I'll deal with him!" he shouted behind him, growling as his face morphed to a frown, his eyes narrowing as he jumped back, twisting his hand to free his weapon from the man's grasp.

"No, you don't understand! It's impossible to hurt him, he's-"

"Just go, I'll handle it! I won't lose like this!"

She was about to protest, before biting her tongue to stop herself. "Fine. There's an exit nearby, if you get past him and run straight you'll see light down one of the side tunnels, and it'll lead you behind the Fire tower. Be careful!"

He grinned, keeping his eyes on the enemy while he heard her turn around and jog away, her movements hindered by her passenger, though soon enough, he could no longer hear her, now alone with the oddly quiet leader of the Reconquista.

"Now, then. We're all alone here, so tell me, how and why are you here? Did Sheffield send you?"

No response but another lunge, and he dodged to the side, sending the man sprawling as he simply tripped him. So his fighting prowess really hadn't changed, he was easily a match for Gandalfr's lightning reflexes and combat skill. So why were both it and Siesta so worried? And for that matter, how did Siesta even know who Cromwell was?

He shook his head. He couldn't think about the how and why of things right now, he had to focus on the battle. Now, he lowered his stance, raising the sword and letting the runes do their work. It would be mostly instinct here, the light was too poor and the walls too narrow to plan out a good strategy, and this was no tournament match. This was a real fight to the death, and he had every intention of making it back out to the surface.

"Not going to answer? I don't know what you did to Louise, but you're going to regret it. Coming back to life was a mistake, now I'll just kill you again."

As he said those words, he acknowledged that they were absolutely true. Once again, he felt no hesitation in making such a statement. In his eyes, this man was already dead, so there was no real issue with fighting him. A husk of a corpse was not human, even if he had been a decent person in life.

As he watched, the man stood up again, stumbling as he turned to face the boy again, kneeling to the ground to charge his legs for a jump, and David let the runes carry him forward as he made his attack.

A horizontal slash, aimed at Cromwell's torso, the attack given direction and power by David's foot sliding on the stone floor to lower his center of gravity and push himself forward, slicing blade-first into the man's body as he simultaneously shifted to the side to dodge once the attack was finished.

It was a satisfyingly smooth motion, the runes blazing on his hand stopping any sort of discomfort he may have felt from the slightly unusual attack, which twisted his body in such a way that had it not been for the adrenaline boost, it would have caused a stab of pain in his ribs where his injury still lay.

Behind him, the Albionian fell to the ground, cut cleanly in two just above his bellybutton, upper half collapsing to the ground on top of his legs and arms played out to the sides as David turned around, staring coldly at the body on the ground.

"I know how to deal with Andvari zombies." he stated, flicking Derf to clear it of the residue from the slice...There was no blood in the man's body, but it still contained rotting tissue and spinal fluid. "They don't die, but if you cut them down, they become immobile. That's no different if it's Wales or you."

The battle had taken seconds, and though he couldn't quite believe it, it was already over. Slightly disappointing if he was honest, but now he had to get to the sur-

"What in the world…" His eyes widened as the man began moving again, his upper half rolling to the side as his knees pressed to the ground, standing themselves up as the arms lifted their half to balance.

"What is happening?" There was no way he could be moving, not after an obviously successful hit like that…

What exactly had Cromwell become since they'd last met?


	160. Multiplier

David backed up as the two halves turned to face him, and now that he was sure that this was in fact some kind of zombie, the blank expression on Cromwell's face made sense, staring unblinkingly ahead at the boy, who raised his sword in preparation for another attack.

The upper half remained still while the legs rushed at him, surprisingly quick considering they had nothing attached, and he had to duck to the side to avoid a swift kick upwards where he'd been standing.

"Any idea what's going on here, Derf?" he asked the sword, who clanked against its crossguard a few times before responding.

"He's probably not living." the sword replied, and David sighed.

"Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious. What would I ever do without your advice?"

"Probably die." Derf replied, laughing as David raised the sword to catch the man's leg, which froze in place in the air as the blade stopped it, catching on the groove between the shoe's sole and the small heel that was commonplace in shoes here.

Once again, despite moving just as well as normal, the man had no particularly exceptional strength. It was clear why, in life he'd depended on Sheffield's fake Void to ward off foes, so now he was suffering the consequences in that he couldn't perform particularly strong attacks.

Still, the fact that he was moving at all was problematic, and David suspected that a zombie couldn't get tired. Granted, he had plenty of stamina thanks to his runes, but it was still not a good situation.

Cromwell's leg lowered, freeing the sword as it stepped back to regain its balance, the top half now scuttling forward in an inhuman motion of alternating his arms on the ground, a spiderlike crawl that was nothing short of creepy to witness.

David growled, slashing downward to cut the man diagonally, slicing another line from his neck to the side of his ribs, and the pieces fell to either side as he stood back.

"I don't think you want to be touched…" Derf said as David cringed. The pieces once again stood, this time awkwardly balancing on one arm each as the legs went for another kick, which he easily dodged, leading them to ram into the wall and collapse behind him.

"He's a zombie, and I don't think he's being preserved by the Ring of Andvari. You're lucky you don't have a nose, it's starting to smell terrible in here…" Not only that, but it was horrible to look at, and though it was relatively easy to retaliate or dodge the increasingly weaker attacks, the fact that Cromwell was now in a pile of pieces squirming on the ground and still somehow had the locomotion to aim at him was worrying.

By now, the largest piece was the chest, lying motionless unlike the various limbs and joints wiggling around in their search for their target, much to the Gandalfr's disgust. At least he seemed to be preserved well enough that there wasn't any particularly disturbing stuff coming out, save for a strange brownish liquid that may or may not be embalming fluid.

"This is really disturbing." he said, another slash bringing the one remaining leg down as he cut it across the knee. Maybe it would be better if there was actual resistance, but the fact that his counterattacks cut through as if there was nothing there only succeeded in creeping him out even more. "I mean, I guess it's true that I can't beat this, but I honestly expected more of a challenge…"

By now, the pieces were too small to be a threat, barely able to move farther than a few centimeters as he simply started walking away, sheathing the sword without even needing to shake it off, as there wasn't really anything dirtying the blade.

"You have gotten stronger, but it is odd that someone would waste the body of someone as influential as that guy for simple guard work that, admittedly, failed against someone who can't use magic." Derf stated as its master stopped walking to turn around and gaze at the pile of flesh and bone on the ground.

"It's kind of sad, when you think about it...I mean, Cromwell was a terrible person, but it's just wrong to turn him into something that can't even die when it's destroyed." He blinked a couple times, before reaching his hand to scratch the back of his head. "Seriously, what kind of guard can't land a hit? It's almost like…"

His head snapped up to the ceiling as the ground rumbled, his eyes widening as the clear sound of an explosion shook dust from the stones of the tunnel. "...Like it was just wasting time…"

"Run, partner!" the sword called, though he didn't need to obey, having already taken off as soon as he finished talking, shaking off the disturbing memory of the bizarre 'fight' he'd just gone through.

The walls stopped vibrating now that the singular blast had ended, leaving only the sound of his footsteps as he raced in the dark, heading in the direction Siesta had told him to go and searching for the light she'd promised was somewhere in a connecting tunnel.

He found it easily, picking out the slight change with his heightened senses and changing direction, bolting towards the entrance and practically jumping up the stairway and out onto the grass behind one of the towers, exactly as Siesta had said.

Running out to view the academy from the side of the tower, he scanned the area for where the explosion had come from, and found people, mostly students who were staying for the summer, running around in the fields between the towers.

The explosion site was pretty obvious as there was a massive hole in the side of the central tower, exposing the ballroom on the bottom floor but seemingly not affecting the structural stability of the tower as a whole.

The staff seemed busy handling the panicking students, so David dipped from his hiding place towards the explosion site, pulling Derf out so he'd be ready for whoever had caused it.

"David, get away from there!" called Colbert, ignoring formalities as he simply didn't have the time while he split his attention between several people running around nearby, waving his staff in the air and barking orders in an uncharacteristically authoritative voice. It was easy to forget that he was an ex-soldier.

"I can help!" the Gandalfr shouted back, continuing on his path as the man made to call to him again, before shaking his head as he focused his attention on the students not currently trying to run straight into the site of the attack.

He leapt in without hesitation, shaking off the same sensation of _run away_ that he'd felt when facing the Crombie. Now that he was past it, it was all the stranger that Gandalfr had been so worried, the zombie had been no challenge to him.

Now, though, he purged the thought from his mind. An explosion meant an actual enemy, not a disappointing mess like had been in the tunnels. He hoped that Siesta had made it out alright with Louise…

"David!" came a voice, and he jolted, instinctively jerking his sword, though his instincts stopped him just before he could cut down Wales, who coughed as he cleared away the smoke with a simple wind spell. "H-Hey, it's just me! I'm trying to figure out who did it too!"

The boy sighed in relief, lowering the sword before blinking. "Wait, your hat!" The Albionian's fez had blown off, presumably from the explosion, and left his very recognizable sandy hair sticking out, waving in the breeze as he shook his head.

"It fell off when I ran here. But that doesn't matter, did you find Louise?"

He nodded, sheathing the sword again. "I left her with Siesta, hopefully they found a safe place."

The man made a sigh of relief, holding his hand to his chest to exhale. "I saw that maid earlier, she probably took her back to the dorm. They're safe."

David shook his head, frowning as he looked around the ballroom, which as the smoke cleared was notably covered in dirt and dust from the opened wall. "They're not safe until we find whoever did this. I found Cromwell's zombie underground, but he wasn't a threat, so there has to be someone controlling it."

"Cromwell?" The prince groaned, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose. "He's causing problems even after he's dead, why wasn't I expecting this…?"

"Do you think Reconquista is involved?" the boy asked, and Wales shook his head.

"Reconquista doesn't exist anymore, I got word from the Archduke recently that it's completely dissolved. All the remaining members went their separate ways, so if it's one of them, they're acting alone."


	161. Not Suprised

"You got here first, did you see anyone come out of here?" David asked, still standing in the opened ballroom with the prince as the dust slowly cleared.

Wales shook his head, scratching his hair. "I got here as fast as I could, but if they were using a clone then they wouldn't even need to leave. I don't think someone who can't use at least that basic magic would attack the academy like this." He walked to the wall, running his hand along the stone where it had been blown apart. "Though this explosion is really weird, it's completely smoothed out...If it wasn't so dusty I could maybe see the general shape and find where the center was, but I can't think of any spells that can do this kind of damage."

"It's just stone, aren't there a lot of spells that can destroy it?" He knew that the walls of the academy were thin, only a couple layers of bricks that always felt fragile to him for holding up the large towers.

The man shook his head and sighed, removing his hand from the rock. "All magic academies are built using at least Triangle-class Earth magic. And the central tower that we're in now is always constructed using Square. Nothing short of Void magic has this kind of punch…"

The Gandalfr's eyes widened, and he involuntarily stepped back. "...Void? You don't think…" What reason would there be for any of the known users to attack here though? Louise, the only one who could probably be capable of a spell like this, was unconscious, and even if she wasn't, there was no way she'd do something like this.

"Does New Divide know anyone who would do this?" Wales asked, turning to him. "There's still time before people start investigating, speak freely while we're alone."

David hesitated, before nodding. "I only know of four void mages. Louise, Pope Vittorio, King Joseph, and Tifa." He paused to judge the man's reaction to hearing his cousin's name.

Wales raised an eyebrow, but otherwise showed no change in facial features. "I figured her lack of magic wasn't just a result of being an elf. That explains why she is incapable of contracting with elemental spirits for Firstborn magic as well. Go on."

"...So, Tifa has no offensive spells as far as I know, only status-affecting ones. Vittorio I don't really know much about but I really don't think he'd come here to attack without warning. And Joseph...He has a spell called Warp, but even though it's damaging, I really don't think he has enough control to make such a smoothly cut hole like this. Plus, you mentioned clones, and correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't void clones impossible and elementless clones unable to cast magic?"

"...You're right, that is an issue. And all Square-class mages that are registered would have no reason to be here, so…" the Albionian crossed his arms, tapping his chin with his index finger in thought. "But for nobody to notice anyone escaping, a clone had to have been the cause, so what could-" He was cut off by Colbert's shouting an enchantment, and the dust suddenly cleared, practically blasted away by the force of the wind generated by his staff.

"You two, what are you doing?" There was no tone of anger in his voice, and David knew he didn't suspect them. It was probably just annoying to deal with students getting in the way when they really shouldn't be here. Completely reasonable.

Still, he froze in place as the balding man turned to look at the now-revealed prince. The conversation had gone serious, he'd completely forgotten that Wales' hat had blown off somewhere.

"...William." the man stated, and Wales blinked, looking up at him. He wasn't still like David, but he did shake a little. Evidently he did have some concern over being exposed. "All of the staff are busy with dealing with evacuations right now. Can I trust you two to track down whoever did this?"

The younger man blinked in surprise at the questions. "Uh, but we're students, so-"

"David is a capable fighter in his own right, and you are Triangle-class. The few other Triangle-class students that haven't gone home yet are not citizens of this country, so they can't get involved with this problem. And before you open your mouth, you are indeed a Tristainian now." It was bizarre hearing this typically optimistic person speaking in such a serious tone, and both went silent as he spoke. "Don't worry, I masked your presence when you ran here. Nobody saw your secret." He waved his wand, and the fez, a bit dirty but otherwise fine, floated in, landing in Wales' outstretched hand.

"Wait, you...knew already?" Wales asked, and Colbert smiled.

"I'm not an idiot. I once was the captain of the royal guard in my youth and have been to Albion many times before you were born. You look exactly like your father did at that age. Now, that aside, I'll ask again. Can you two track the person who did this? I would do it myself, but there are still a lot of people still not aware of what's going on. Just don't engage them, report back to a teacher, preferably a Square-class, when you've confirmed their identity."

"...Right." David said, looking at Wales, who nodded back to him before turning to the teacher.

"We'll find him. Do you have any clues on where he's hiding?" the Albionian asked, and Colbert nodded slowly.

"Guiteau noticed wind magic being cast near here earlier, so it must be a wind clone. They take up a lot of energy to maintain, so the culprit is close by. The servant staff are watching the fields and entrances to towers for anyone attempting to escape, so most likely they're still in this tower somewhere. I don't know any more than that, and Guiteau can't perform his Hurricane since there's so many people still within range. You'll have to search the tower manually."

"Where's Principal Osmond?" David asked, and the man shook his head.

"He isn't present in school grounds. With his magic we could easily track down the attacker, but he's in Tristania right now handling paperwork for William here. It's unfortunate but we have to depend on you. As much as I hate to put you students in harm's way, it's the only option we have."

"We're both adults, it's fine!" David said, smiling. "We can handle ourselves, so go and make sure everyone's safe. Also, can you check on Louise? Siesta took her to her dorm, I don't know if they're aware of what happened."

Colbert breathed a sigh of relief at the question, standing straight and nodding. "Of course. I'm glad to hear that you found her. Good luck, you two." He turned around and broke into a sprint out of the hole as the younger two looked at each other.

"Well, let's get to looking." Wales said, and David nodded.

"Should we split up? I can take the basement and library if you handle the upper floors. It'll weaken us but we can cover more ground that way. Magic can't be used in the library, so it's safer for me to go there."

"But what if you can't use Gandalfr either? Then you'll be stuck with no magic and only your own skill against someone we know nothing about, and-"

"Would you two just be quiet?" came a voice, and they were cut off as they turned to look inside the cavernous space that made up the ballroom, and though they saw no one, there was the obvious sound of footsteps coming closer. "I'm not afraid of you nor anyone else, there's no reason for me to hide behind runic barriers or some random office."

The air shimmered with a similar pattern to heat distortion from a fire, and a form seemed to melt into view. Unlike the shadowy reveal of Cromwell in the tunnels, this man walked confidently, a fairly large pace that clicked against the tile as small breezes knocked away the dirt in his path.

He was a showoff for sure, and despite his mantle and cape being gone, he still wore the same fabric tunic and thick fencing pants, and without his wide-brimmed hat, his silvery hair was easy to notice. He hadn't even bothered to cut the two long strands of hair that rested on his shoulders, nor had be shaven his characteristic facial hair neatly cut short around the wry smile he wore, so he was easily recognizable just as Cromwell had been.

It seemed a common theme for former Reconquista members to not realize what a disguise is. Then again, Jean-Jacques Frances, Viscount de Wardes, was not the type of person to hide behind a false face.


	162. The Battle of the Academy

David stepped back in surprise, instinctively unsheathing Derf and raising it in front of him as the ex-Captain's pace remained steady while he moved towards them, stopping several feet away, out of range of any potential attack that wouldn't require David to charge.

He looked between the two, one hand pocketed and the other loosely holding the handle of his fencing sword, which dangled from his belt as he moved. "I wonder, what are the chances that we three would run into each other again?" He chuckled, tapping his foot on the ground. "How did negotiations go? I heard that some major decisions were made, though I was not present to hear about them. It seems most of Reconquista were excluded. How rude."

Next to David, Wales also drew his wand, pointed at the man. Though the boy was turned to face Wardes, there was little doubt in his mind that the Albionian's face was twisted in rage. Wardes had been a part of the group who'd systematically destroyed his family after all, and though David knew no other names besides the ones who'd been present at the negotiation meeting, he had little doubt that there were more than just a handful before the war had started.

Not to mention that he'd been there when Henri was killed. Regardless of it being directly their fault or not, it had still happened, and now, all he could think about was making this man pay the price. No doubt his own face also betrayed his thoughts. Good thing nobody else was her to see him like-"

Wardes grinned as he looked between the two. "Wales Tudor. You've experienced war before, and yet you react in such a way to a killer? I'm no different than your first mate, you know. It's only the targets that have changed. And I did so with the intent to better the world. What was Minerva's reason for-"

"Minerva is a different person now!" Wales shouted, cutting the man off. "She's the most loyal person I've ever met, and she hates remembering that more than anyone else! Don't talk about her like you understand anything! Don't act like you're the same." He inhaled deeply before growling. "You're just a traitor. You're not loyal to anything. You can't even decide what you yourself want, much less what side to choose!"

Wardes was silent for several moments, before smiling. "It's a bit hypocritical to say such a thing about me, isn't it? You don't know my motives either. Look at this damaged wall, all this dust kicked up by something I did. Do you think I'd expend the effort to do this without reason?" He laughed. "I don't think any of the executive members saw Reconquista as any more than a stepping stone. Perhaps for that idiot Cromwell it was his entire life, but for everyone else, we had our own goals." He shook his head, sighing. "Once he died, the rest of us didn't have a reason to continue being allies. I believe Sheffield took over the mantle of leader, but I don't really care what she does with it anymore."

"Then why are you here? If you're not doing this for Reconquista, then what possible reason could you have for attacking the academy?" David asked, and the man's grin widened as he turned to him.

"I have my reasons. The people I actually call allegiance to wanted this place flattened, so I'm simply following that task. However, aside from that…" His eyebrow raised as he stared at David, before his grin shifted to his normal wry smile. "Well, now that I look a little closer, I can see that you've changed quite a bit from when we last met, haven't you?"

David frowned, keeping Derf raised as he watched the man. "How exactly?" It was a cautious question, eyes narrowed as he felt himself tense, prepared for an attack.

"Your eyes are cold." the man replied. "I can tell just by looking at you that you don't have any intention of leaving me alive. You're finally learning to stop being so naive." He laughed, hand returning to the handle of his fencing sword. "Last time you tried to fight me as a child assuming he could get the better of his superior. Now, let me see you fight as a soldier willing to die for his cause."

David blinked at the statement, but didn't have time to think too deeply into it as Wardes drew his sword, a silent slash forcing him to jump back as Wales prepared a chant beside him.

Wales could handle the magic, he could deal with the swordfighting. Last time, things were chaos and they didn't have the high ground, but right now, they were at the advantage. There were two of them, and this was home territory, at least for the Gandalfr. On paper, even with Wardes' Triangle-class wind magic, it shouldn't be terribly difficult to win this battle.

Still, the confident sneer on the man's face was unsettling. David knew that Wardes was not a stupid man, and there was little doubt that he'd already planned everything in advance. There was no way he'd perform a large scale attack like this without first knowing he could handle the backlash. There was also the question of exactly how he'd done such a thing, but that didn't matter right now.

He waited for Wales to finish his chant, taking that as his cue to move and tilting Derf away. The sword's ability to absorb magic had not yet been revealed to Wardes yet, and best not interfere with the more experienced mage's attack in any case.

"Is. Nyd. Hægl! Air Cutter!" David inwardly smiled at the spell, recognizing it from the duel with Guiche earlier that day. It was a good one, invisible and damaging. Even Wardes would-

His eyes widened as, without his expression changing at all, Wardes simply raised his wand, silently casting a spell as electricity jumped from across the length of his sword, and he shifted from side to side according to how the arcs reacted with the wind. A smart move, and one David hadn't even known possible. Evidently his runic name of 'Lighning' was not just based on his ability to attack using electricity.

Still, without hesitation, he leapt forward, keeping his plan in mind. Whether Wales' attack worked or not, he'd still use it as his cue, rushing forward and instinctively shouting as he raised Derf to perform his attack.

 _Deja vu..._ he thought to himself as he was launched back by an invisible Pulse, shot from the man's wand sword with only a quiet "Wind Pulse." under his breath. After the exact same thing had happened back in Albion, now he was just repeating history, hand gripping Derf tightly as he was blown back through the hole left by whatever detonating spell Wardes had used, knocked outside and hitting his back hard on the grass.

He didn't even really notice as the wind was knocked from his lungs, staring up at the sky as he lie still, the sound of the fight barely registering as his mind attempted to process what was going on.

He knew he'd changed since the last time. He was a better fighter now, he'd seen so many different styles in the tournament that he surely should have been prepared for a strategy he'd already seen before.

Why had he raised Derf so high above his head? Doing that meant he couldn't use its absorption in case of a retaliation, and though he was lucky that the more experienced swordsman didn't simply stab him in the air, it was still a pathetically obvious trap.

No, it wasn't even a trap. Wardes had simply taken advantage of his own stupidity, and now Wales was alone to fight the man.

"Partner!" Derf called, and he blinked, regaining his senses as he sat up, the throbbing in his chest vanishing as Gandalfr got a hold on him again.

"Sorry, Derf! I lost track of what I was doing, it won't happen again!" He jumped up, poised to rush in again before another spell kicked up a cloud of smoke, and through it, Wales jumped backwards, skidding across the grass, his own sword in hand, though it appeared that the point and a good portion of it had been sliced off, leaving it halved.

The Albionian turned to spot the Gandalfr, waving the broken sword to get his attention. "David! You can't mess around against him, just go full force from the get go!"

David turned to him ,before nodding, eyes hardening as he raised Derf, turning it to look at the blade. "Derf. Can I trust you to help me?"

The sword laughed at the question, clanging as it tended to do when it wanted to speak. "I'm just a sword. You're the one wielding me. Figure it out yourself."

The smoke cleared as Wardes stepped forward, sword in hand as the other held the side of his head. "What a headache. At least one of you is a decent opponent. I'm disappointed, Gandalfr. You possess the runes hailed to be the greatest weapons master in history, and yet you can't handle even one basic spell?" Oddly, he didn't seem focused on the two allies, instead looking up in the air behind them. Upon looking back, he appeared to be watching one of the towers. The Wind Tower if David recalled, but right now it didn't really make a difference.

David frowned, rushing forward before the man could make any other quips, and their sowrds clashed together, David making sure this time not to leave any room for a spell to be cast again.

Still, Wardes didn't waver, simply by virtue of weighing enough that the momentum didn't carry him very far back, and he smiled, flicking his sword to knock David's hand to the side and perform a simple forward thrust, the tip of his sword laced in lightning as David let his instinct carry him to the side. Still, instinct wasn't perfect, and he felt Wardes' foot slam into his ankle, forcing him to stumble and just barely avoiding the sword planting downward into the dirt.

With the brief moment Wardes would need to pull his sword out, David made his own attack, an upward slash that was uncoordinated thanks to his stumble, but gave him just enough time to regain his balance and twist around to meet the sword as behind him, Wales chanted another spell.

With Wardes distracted with the swordfighting, he couldn't use his sword to cast a counterspell, and so found himself blasted back by a gust of wind, which David was only spared from thanks to Derf's ability, sucking in the magic and causing him to stumble only as a result of Wardes' weight suddenly being gone from the blade.

Still, the ex-Captain didn't even fall, rushing forward and once again targeting David after again looking up in the air behind his target, who was forced on the defensive as he continuously stepped back, having to block a flurry of swift thrusts. The static electricity made his hair stand on end, but he ignored it, jumping back as he searched for a good place to make a move.

Wardes, meanwhile, stood behind, focusing on the mid-range magic that occasionally distracted, but failed to actually hurt, the traitorous man, who simply smiled as, with a burst of water that pushed out from his sword in a ring that moved both of them, he glanced up at one of the towers again, his smile widening, though when David turned to look, there was nothing visible. Why was the man getting distracted by that?

"The brat wasn't late after all." the man said, grinning as he turned his attention to the two. "Sorry, but I'm going to have to end this quickly. I have little interest in dealing with pests when there's much bigger enemies to destroy."

"What are you talking about? Air Cutter!" Wales shouted as David stepped back, keeping out of range of the spell, which this time, Wardes focused on, turning all his attention on the Albionian as he rushed at him, leaving his back open as Wales ran to the side to avoid the electricity fired from the wand sword.

 _He's open._ David thought, his hand tightening on Derf. _I can get him now if he's distracted enough…_ He didn't hesitate, jumping forward as he raised the sword again, before his eyes widened as his runes suddenly lit up again, that same foreboding feeling from earlier washing over him again, though this time, it was far worse, forcing him to freeze in place, eyes wide as Wardes' expression changed, another Wind Pulse blocking Wales' attempt to slash at him.

Now, he was not smiling. His face was dark, an expression reserved for someone truly uncaring for the person he was looking at. "Neither of you needed to get in my way, and doing so only will get you killed. So, this is goodbye, Gandalfr."

David stared at him, struggling to move, but he could feel terror wash over him, some unseen force digging into his body and taking away all the adrenaline that the runes provided him. He could keenly feel the pain in his ribs from the fight with Fouquet, and the throbbing in his chest from all the times he'd had his breath kicked out. Only now did he realize just how often that really happened.

Something had descended on him, a presence that wieghed down like an elephant standing on his shoulders, forcing him to lower his sword and simply stare forward.

As suddenly as it came, the presence was gone, and in that brief second, he heard two voices, that of Wales, and that of Casper, shouting his name as he felt a splitting pain shoot into his back, ripping through his chest as he found himself falling, Derf leaving his grip as his ears rang, a loud thudding in his head all he could hear before he became aware of two words, whose voice he couldn't recognize in the haze.

" _Wind Shear._ "


	163. One Word

**I'm surprised nobody said anything about the insanity last chapter, so this one will be even more of a mess. Hooray for climax arcs!**

* * *

Wales' eyes widened as he watched David go limp, and as the Gandalfr fell, it became obvious what had happened as a large wound had been shredded into his back just below his left shoulder blade. Though the source was unknown, it was obvious it was too much for the boy to handle, and he was no doubt unconscious before he even hit the ground, his sword flying out of hand and landing flat in front of him.

"David!" he called, and though he wanted to run to him, Wardes' body blocked him, forcing him back as his friend collapsed to his knees and landed facefirst in the dirt.

The Albionian's eyes narrowed, and he gripped his sword in both hands, an improper form but he needed something to squeeze to manage his rage. "What did you do?" The dark tone he took on was something he rarely had, but this was the voice he made whenever a close friend was hurt in battle. His first mate, Minerva. The ex-adventurer Rance who now worked as a cabin boy. Now, the friend, and potential crush, of his lover and cousin. As the captain of the _Eagle_ , he'd made a policy to be neutral on international politics, but here under the guise of William de Gaul, he could allow himself to hate this man standing in his way.

And hate him he did. Jean-Jacques Francis, former Viscount of Wardes, had been the sole cause of so many problems within Albion and the world as a whole. His true allegiances had never really been known, considering he was Tristainian but used the Albionian naming scheme lacking a 'de' connector, and he had been at some rank or another in both countries' military before announcing his support of King Henri over James Tudor. Was that support even a lie? He had no idea, and right now, it didn't matter. Right now, it wasn't his flippant history or tendency towards treason that Wales cared about. It was his injured friend bleeding out on the ground that really angered him.

Wardes smiled, waving his wand in a silent lightning spell that ricocheted Wales' sword, twisting the blond's body back as he lowered his sword to catch the man's attempted parry. David may have Gandalfr, but Wales had years of experience. This was nothing he couldn't handle, provided the magic wasn't too intense. "Does it bother you? Well, perhaps you'll be happy to know that I myself am incapable of performing _Wind Shear_. So, I was just the distraction."

At Wales' shocked expression, his smile widened. "Now, then. I don't think he's dead yet, so why don't you just stand aside while I finish him off? And better yet, why not with his dear master's special attack?" With that, he whirled around, and with only a single word chant, there was little time to react as he calmly stated his spell, his voice void of emotion.

"Explosion."

~~~Elsewhere in the Academy~~~

The battle wasn't the only chaotic place in the academy as students bolted down the stairs, each tower taken by a teacher and the entrances all handled by two staff members. Currently, in the Wind tower where third-years were the primary residents, Colbert was handling the evacuations.

"Don't worry about possessions, they won't be harmed! Everything inside will be protected, so just worry about getting out!" he shouted over the sound of people chattering to each other, some afraid while others were simply excited. It was to be expected, these students were all essentially full-on mages, many of whom were masters of Line-class magic, and a couple who could at least use Triangle, though those who were good with it were already being employed to handle other matters with the non-teaching staff.

All except one, who was now being pushed by another student as one of the axles of his wheelchair had bent on a step at a higher floor. Colbert went to the student, thanking them and taking the handles after confirming that there was no one left on the upper floors and instructing her to follow the remaining students while he moved to roll the handicapped student himself.

"I had thought you would be gone already, Mister Acapella." he stated, using the wheelchair to cast a small Line-class wind spell and lift it in the air enough not to worry about bumps while he brought it down the stairway, letting the student carry his staff as they moved. "Don't you normally leave right after you finish exams?"

The boy smiled, waving his hand lightly. "I had heard there was an interesting crop of first-years, so I stayed behind to watch the tournament. Unfortunately the one I bet on didn't win, so now I owe Hannah 40 ecu."

"You're as nonchalant as ever, I see. You aren't worried in the slightest about all this, aren't you?"

The boy chuckled, tapping his chin. "Why should I be? My legs don't work, but my magic is powerful. There's not many Triangle-class mages who can match me."

"Being incredibly strong isn't the only thing you need to worry about. You may be able to get around easily on the ground, but up here even you have trouble. Are your legs hurting?"

The boy looked up at the man, before he let a large grin split his face. "My left knee. Something big is going to happen today."

"Well, as long as it's not your right…" the man said, sighing as he went silent now that they'd caught up with the evacuating students, wheeling the boy down to the bottom floor and leaving him to his own devices. He could have left him on his own earlier than this, but as a teacher he couldn't just leave him behind, even if he would be fine. Still, now he had other students to deal with.

He walked to one of the staff guarding the entrance, tapping the door of the tower with his staff. "Has anything important happened?"

The man, who normally worked as a butler but now was being put on guard duty, shook his head worriedly. "I've heard reports from the messenger groups that the culprit is the ex-Captain Wardes. Someone has entered combat but there's been no word since."

Colbert hesitated, before sighing heavily as he looked down. "I hope that it wasn't them…" He looked up, clearing his throat. "This tower is clear now, so have everyone from here be moved to the servants' tunnels and out underneath the main gate. Avoid the Fire tower, there was a battle there so the passages may be damaged." The man nodded, and he was about to add something before he felt someone bump into him, a small eep coming from the girl as he turned to look at her.

"...San Sasaki, what are you doing here? You were supposed to evacuate with Marteau's group."

Siesta shook her head, her hands help up as her eyes shifted between the door and the professor. "Sasaki-san. I have to get inside, there's something wrong h-"

"Nobody is here anymore, but even if there was, that's our responsibility. You have neither magic nor physical strength, you mustn't put yourself in harm's-" He was cut off as she ignored him, rushing inside as the other staff member guarding the other side of the door idly watched her run inside.

"...Should I stop her?" he asked, and Colbert sighed, shaking his head.

"We don't have time. Let her do her thing. Miss Sasaki has a tendency to recognize trouble where others don't see it, and she's usually right. She didn't ask for help, so let's just focus on the mission at hand."

The two nodded, and he turned to follow the students, noting the visible line of upturned grass and dirt marking the path the handicapped student had gone. Good, he was safe as well, not that there was any real worry.

~~~Back at the Battle~~~

"Explosion." Wardes stated calmly. That was all, a single word uttered in the least exciting of voices, his sword tip pointed at the boy lying on the ground.

One word that, had it been heard by more people who knew its meaning, would echo across the campus like a gunshot. It was a word that held as much power in its meaning alone as in the actual spell, which quickly grew at the tip of his sword, a white sphere of energy that, while not particularly large, was still terrifying in its implications.

Wales didn't hesitate. Swords were worthless here, and nothing he could cast in time would be helpful. He didn't know how or why, but Wardes was casting a void spell. There was nothing he could do but run, dropping his sword and holding his arms out in front of him, standing his ground as he faced the man with a grim expression and eyes full of rage.

"What did you do?" he asked. "You couldn't end it with just attacking him, but you had to steal Louise's magic too? How did you do that? Why?"

"Stand aside, unless you'd rather I prove to you directly that this is very much real. You wouldn't understand it, it's a secret guarded from your generation. Stand aside, and watch as the void destroys itself."

"You're insane. Why should I step aside? Why should I abandon another friend when you've already destroyed everything I have?"

The man was silent, before smiling once again. "Then be destroyed like him."

That was the last thing he said before the spell was cast.


	164. Awakening

When Louise cast Explosion, it was normally a fixed point and expanded outward, but Wardes was far more experienced than the pinkette, and despite never having the spell before now, his had a controlled blast, erupting from the tip of his sword in a similar pattern to a Ray spell, aimed forwards in a position that, once he was already in range, Wales quickly realized was not actually targeting the prone Gandalfr.

He'd been tricked. If he hadn't moved, then this attack would do nothing but go off into nowhere, and thanks to his decision to get in the way, the strike hit him in his torso, the white energy blasting through as if nothing was there.

He shouted in pain as he stepped back, still standing defensively in front of his friend as the hand not holding his sword rested on the entry wound, looking down briefly to check the damage.

There was a clear tunnel through his body, about an inch across, and though it had missed anything vital, the sight and feel was enough to make him internally panic.

There was no pain, and the wound seemed to be cauterized, so there was no blood and he could stick his fingers into the injury without feeling anything.

It was a bizarre feeling, but it was good for him. No doubt Wardes had intended it, but this was an injury that he could keep fighting with, even if it would come back to bite him later.

Still, he couldn't think about that right now as Wardes grinned, the blade of his sword lighting up with his signature spell once again. "It frustrates you, doesn't it?" the man asked. "How many battles have you been in, and yet you've never sustained a permanent injury. And now, not only have you lost your streak, but it was to a void spell."

Wales frowned, before bending down, setting something near David's fingers and masking it as adjusting his shoe, adding in a grimace at the grating of the wound in his torso. "Take care of this." he said quietly, before standing up again. "How did you cast that spell? I don't care if I wouldn't understand it, just tell me." He'd never heard of such a thing happening, a non-void mage using the magic and still being able to cast normal elements as well. "It's the least you can do after the damage you've caused already."

Wardes stood silent, before smiling again as he fished inside the leather tunic he wore, the lightning fading from his sword.

"Wind Cutter!" Wales called, casting the spell as he rushed forward, ignoring the slight stiffness in his body at his injury as he raised his sword to follow the spell, intent on using the momentary distraction to launch a two-pronged offense. Wardes wasn't stupid, so he needed all the distraction he could get, and his question had worked perfectly. Now, the man couldn't as easily use his fencing sword, and he wouldn't be able to retaliate in time. No matter what his defense would be, he couldn't cast quickly enough to-

Wales' eyes went wide as the man pulled what appeared to be a round mirror from his shirt, and as it came in contact with the glass, the Wind Cutter simply stopped, the ripples in the air smoothing out in an instant as his other hand lifted to catch the Albionian's sword on the pommel of his own. Wardes' eyes narrowed as the motion brought the two into a deadlock, the mirror raised by his chin.

It was a simple instrument, with a wide metal brim carved with the curved patterns common in very old artifacts, and embedded in the brim above the glass was a small turquoise gemstone with the magic pentagram carved inside. The glass itself was a dark grey, nearly worthless as a mirror as Wales could hardly see himself despite standing only a foot away, but that didn't seem to be its purpose considering the fact that his magic had been negated so easily.

Whatever this thing was, it was no ordinary vanity instrument. The man blinked as he looked at it, and Wardes smiled as he lowered it.

"The round mirror owned by Brimir himself. It's dull, but you really can feel the power it holds. I've only used it a couple times, but I've really grown to enjoy it."

Wales' attention was broken from the mirror as he turned to face the man, holding his free hand to the blade of his sword to keep from getting pushed back as Wardes leaned over him. "Something from the Founder's time? Is that the method you used to take Louise's magic too?"

The man grinned, nodding as he set the mirror back in his shirt, jumping back and raising his sword again. "If you can beat me, then you can take it and do whatever research you want on it. But I have to deliver it, so you're going to have trouble if you want it."

Wales frowned, before standing in position to attack again. There was no way he was going to let more people get Louise's magic, and now if he was right, his own spell had been stolen as well.

~~~With David~~~

David couldn't see anything but darkness, and everything was numb save for a burning pain somewhere in his body, though he couldn't quite pinpoint where as his mind was too muddled to register what was going on.

He knew what had happened. Though he couldn't really tell where he was, he was fully aware that he'd been hit by something unavoidable. It had been completely undetectable even with his Gandalfr reflexes, the only warning being that brief moment of fear the runes gave him.

That must have been what they were trying to tell him. It wasn't Cromwell or Wardes that they were detecting, it was something else, something that was not the same as everything he'd dealt with so far.

Wind Shear. He had no idea what it was, and it was nothing like Wales' Wind Cutter. Some Square-class spell?

His head throbbed too much to think about it, and steadily, as he lay still, his vision slowly came back to him, finding himself staring at the dirt where his face rested.

He became aware of something near his fingers, rolling his eyes to face it. If his muscles were working properly, he'd narrow his gaze in surprise, but instead he simply expended the effort to wrap his hand around the item, curling his finger to put it on and hide it under his hand.

The Ring of Wind, the symbol of the Albionian royalty and something David only just realized he had not seen Wales wearing. He must have hidden it on his person and dropped it off now, and now that he thought about it, he thought he'd heard his voice telling him to keep it.

Reminded that there was a fight going on, he forced his head to move, ignoring the dirt on his tongue as he was apparently open-mouthed and looking forward to see what was happening.

Wales was still fighting, but it was clear he wasn't doing well, pushed back by a flurry of lightning-infused thrusts from the superior mage.

He had to get involved, but he couldn't move his body any more than minor adjustments, still flat on the ground and soaking in something warm as he became aware of a voice in his mind.

 _Stand up. He needs your help._

Casper? He hadn't heard her voice in so long now, he'd forgotten how it sounded. Was this her talking to him again? Why had she returned now?

 _The runes. They'll give you strength._

But, he couldn't reach his sword. How was he going to use Gandalfr?

 _Let it take over. Imagine your world of music, where you don't exist. Let Gandalfr become you._

He wasn't sure what she was saying, but found himself accepting it anyway, eyes staring forward as his body attempted to move, hand reaching under him in an effort to push himself up.

He was focused on his task now, to the extent that his expression didn't even change as Wales fell to the ground, his arms raised in a futile effort to stop the glowing light at the end of Wardes' sword.

"Explosion has more tricks than just the one." Wardes stated coldly. "Gyfu. Tiw. Bullet."

Wales' screams didn't reach David's ears as he was repeatedly smacked with another flurry of attacks, the light glowing like a sparkler as it hit his body, and as David found himself reaching for Derf, he was hardly aware that Wales was no longer resisting, simply lying on the ground motionless.

 _Let go of your limits. Kill him._


	165. Guardian

The Void tower, normally reserved for offices and storage, was loud with the powerful winds generated from Guiteau's wand, wrapping around the walls and creating a massive shield for the students inside as it now acted as a makeshift evacuation zone, the teachers standing guard near the door, which was blocked from the outside by several feet of dirt brought up by Mrs. Chevreuse as outside atop the manmade hill, Colbert stood guard, wand raised and a chant already queued for casting if need be.

Inside, the offices on the bottom floor were full of students and non-mage staff members, waiting for the go-ahead to leave.

Some of them were huddled together, genuinely afraid of the situation outside, like the best friends Reynald and Gimli, who sat squashed against their friend Malicorne's body as both shivered, the slightly overweight boy keeping one hand around them while the other dug into a chip bag he'd brought with him.

"We've never had to hide out like this before...It's so scary I can't stop eating." he said between chips as Reynald looked up at him.

"You eat all the time."

Malicorne blinked, before laughing, poking one of the permanent pink spots on his cheeks and grinning. "Yeah, that's true. Want one?"

Others simply stayed close to make sure the others didn't get separated, such as Guiche and Montmorency, the latter of whom had even cast a small water spell that wrapped around the two like rope, binding them together as they kept their arms around the other.

"I could help!" Guiche complained, holding the stem of his rose wand in his mouth. "They said there was only one enemy, so we shouldn't have to cower like this!"

He would have continued had his girlfriend not squeezed harder, her face pressed to his chest. "You're not that strong. Don't get hurt just because you think you are. Please…"

He blinked, looking down at her, before sighing, letting his rose drop so it landed on the top of her head and smiling. "You're right, I must stay by you. There is a chance I could be of use out there, but in here I am certain I'm needed…"

Others still were completely unaffected, such as the always-stoic Tabitha, who stood near the corner of the room, nestled between rolled up curtains and reading a book through the light of the window, her staff next to her and expression was as flat as it always was.

"Aren't you worried at all?" Katie asked the quiet Gallian, sitting nearby and looking up. "There's still some people who haven't gotten here, and Frances and Kirche are still missing. Isn't Kirche your best friend?"

"She's fine." the blue-haired girl replied simply, giving no further explanation. Truth be told, she had a feeling she knew exactly what the Germanian was doing right now, and it most likely had to do with why one of the male third-years were also still missing in action.

Still, with all the varying ways the students were reacting to this lockdown, none attempted to fight their way out. They were all fully aware that this was the safest method, and if it wasn't, then it would not be taken. Their best bet was to stay safe within the boundaries of Guiteau's Tornado spell and wait out the battle taking place outside.

~~~At the battle~~~

Wales had gone silent, relenting as Wardes finally stopped his attack, raising his sword and inspecting the damage he'd done to the prince.

The Albionian didn't really stand a chance for the entire fight. They'd both known it prior to this. Wardes had many more years of experience on his side, plus the electricity that had been slowly paralyzing Wales' body over the course of the battle before he'd unleashed the void. Even without Explosion, there was a clear victor from the get-go. Now, the former Captain stood over his victim, lying motionless with his body riddled with holes. It was a brutal death, but at least it wasn't messy, as his wounds were cauterized and no blood flowed from the holes.

Wardes took a brief moment to note that he had in fact been killed, before grinning and turning away to face the second adversary. "Now, then. One down, one to go." He stepped forward, before stopping and raising an eyebrow. "Oh? Still alive and kicking, are we?"

David had managed to force himself to rest on his knees, having grabbed Derf and driven the sword into the ground to use as a crutch as he stared forward, his eyes half-lidded from exhaustion and the mantle of his school uniform slipping down from the weight of the dark red liquid oozing from his back wound.

His left hand hung down next to him, weakly attempting to push him farther up. The injury had missed any major nerves or muscles, but it still was taking its toll on the limb's mobility, though from the expression on his face he didn't seem to care.

It was obvious the boy was only half-conscious, and he ignored Wardes' comment, seemingly listening to someone that wasn't actually present as his mouth slowly formed into a small smile.

"Al...right." he said, his voice low and stuttering as his breathing was ragged from the damage to his lung. "I'll...beat him…"

The man blinked, before laughing, his sword only loosely facing forward. "You can't even stand up. Look at your friend over there. He's not coming back, no magic nor alchemy can truly reverse death. You saw Oliver Cromwell, right? That's the best anyone can do, and there's no chance that brat who orchestrated this is going to tell you how to accomplish such feats."

"Shut...up." David replied, his gaze hardening despite his half-open eyes as he put pressure on Derf's hilt, slowly dragging himself to a slouched standing position as he pulled the sword from the ground, raising it one-handed to face the man, though his grip was shaky at best.

The sword was silent, giving no comment on the situation. It knew that it couldn't help here. This was something its partner had to handle himself, without the wisecracks or the wisdom that the ancient weapon possessed. The glowing runes on his hand were no different from usual, but the sword was smart enough to realize that this was not the same as any other time it had been wielded by this particular Gandalfr.

Wardes was unimpressed by the show of determination, raising his sword to point at the barely-conscious boy. "Wind Cutter."

The air rippled as Wales' signature spell was used, fired at the boy on a direct collision course. Defenseless in his current state, David couldn't do any more than glare forward as the attack came at him.

 _Peorð. Eh. Ac. Water Dome._

Casper's chant was silent to all but the one she was protecting as the spell activated, blasting the Wind Cutter away with a hollow sphere of water thrown up around David, whose smile broadened as he adjusted his position to stand up, his injury coated in water as a secondary spell cast by the phantom girl sealed his wound enough to let him move properly.

Wardes, meanwhile, stepped back in surprise, narrowing his eyes as he frowned. "You...You're a mage?!" Nothing had suggested that this boy was also a magic-user, much less one able to fend off Triangle-class spells!

David chuckled, though it quickly devolved to a cough before he regained his senses, staring directly at his foe. "I'm weak by myself, but I have my runes and my guardian. They're all I need to be protected from anyone." He raised Derf in his right hand, letting his left remain limp as it still wasn't mobile enough to be functional. "I've skirted around the problem for too long…" His smile turned to a somewhat crazed grin, his eyes shifting to stare down at the blade of the sword in his hand. "I can't get around without being prepared to kill those who are in my way…"


	166. Teamwork

**Yeah, I know. I'm pretty late on the chapter, and it was just getting good. I've been sick the last couple weeks and work's been messing with my schedule on both this and the rewrite. Don't judge me!**

* * *

"I can't get around without being prepared to kill those who get in my way..."

The statement was said in the most biting voice he could muster, his eyes narrowed and teeth clenched in a combination of pain and fury.

This was not the same as the situation in Londinium. There was no accidental magic being cast by an inexperienced Louise, and there was no political background behind this fight. This was a battle of the Void, between mage and familiar. He hadn't really expected this to be the way he could test his mettle against the magic his summoner used, but plans change. This was an event far exceeding _Familiar of Zero_ 's plotline, so he had only his own judgement to follow now.

And his judgement told him that he absolutely had to, at all costs, destroy this man in front of him. Wardes was not someone who deserved mercy or forgiveness, a madman who chose a school as the setting of his big debut. David's rage far surpassed the pain from his wound and the stinging aches from Gandalfr's dissatisfaction with him going against the Void like this.

Holding Derf in one hand barely registered as strange in his mind right now, the runes giving him the strength to numb his pain and maintain the form as he shifted his right leg back behind him, his left bending forward as he moved the sword to rest diagonally in front of him, left hand resting on the ground to give him some balance.

He didn't speak anymore, and didn't listen to Wardes' taunts, focusing instead purely on his weapon and the bubble of magic water surrounding him. As he concentrated, it helped to calm him down, closing his eyes briefly and inhaling deeply, his heartrate slowing down to a more reasonable pace as he took the advice Casper had given him and let the runes take hold.

He didn't speak anymore, putting all the energy he had into launching forward, foot planting into the ground to swing Derf with the entire mass of his body at the surprised man, who was forced to jump back as their swords clashed together, the metal sparking for an instant before fizzling out as the Water Dome followed suit, guided by the magical words Casper spoke into his mind.

Wardes' tone was shaky as he launched his own Air Dome, the two similar spells, both Triangle-class, colliding with one another and pushing the grass below them outwards to form a circle of dirt under their feet.

Wardes' eyes were narrowed, his hair blowing in the wind kicked up by his Air Dome. "So you were hiding a second wind, were you? And such oddly powerful magic for someone who's never used it before."

He jumped to the side, letting David's momentum carry him forward, though rather than stumbling as he'd hoped, the boy was caught by the boundary of the Water Dome, which kept him stable and righted him to a standing position again, even going so far as to turn him to face his foe. An impressive feat even if he did know that it was a different person performing them, the Gallian managing to nearly instantly manipulate her magic while still remaining invisible and presumably intangible.

David, meanwhile, slowly got more and more wild with his strikes as time went on, his pace shifting from long jumps and dives to a quick-footed sidestepping motion, swinging his sword erratically as Wardes was forced back by the combined force of the swordfighting and the advancing Water Dome.

Everyone had their limit, and dragging on such an exhausting style of swordplay after having just cast the costly Explosion spell and another barrage of smaller versions were beginning to weigh down on the man, who found himself slipping occasionally, though he still managed to slip past the falchion's blade when it did get past his defense.

David, on the other hand, seemed far from tired, the power and accuracy of his attacks seemingly only growing stronger with each thrust as he went quieter and quieter, now not making a single sound but the swishing of Derf cutting the air, an even more terrifying display considering that from the perspective of an outsider, he seemed to be silently casting his spells.

The transformation had turned the tide of the battle, and as Wardes ducked to the side, he assessed his options. His own magic was just being negated, and Wind Cutter was as worthless as a basic Clone spell against the force of this weirdly strong Water Dome. He had to think quickly.

Distance. That was what he needed. He had noticed that the Water Dome was very slightly lagging behind the boy's movements earlier, so he simply had to kick him far enough away that the protection would be unable to catch up in time for him to deal the finishing blow.

He nodded to himself, waiting for his chance to strike as he spun around, searching the battlefield for a suitable place to send him. Once picked, he danced into position, deflecting the boy's sword again as he jumped back far enough to point his weapon, eyes narrowing. "Explosion."

He had been expecting, or rather, hoping, that the spell would completely annihilate this annoying person, but to his surprise, the boy raised his sword, and his eyes widened as the spell was blasted out in all directions, before seeming to be sucked back in, surrounding the weapon and losing its power quickly.

"That sword…" he said under his breath, blinking as he put the pieces together.

It was no wonder that none of his magic was doing anything. The Water Dome was doing its job to handle his ranged spells, but the close combat ones must have been simply dispelled by the weapon. It wasn't necessarily that David himself was stronger now, he was simply being powered up by his sword!

It was a theory that had many holes, but it was the best he had right now, and luckily, it didn't seem to matter. The Explosion itself had lost its bite, but the force behind it continued onward, sending his enemy rocketing clear out of the Water Dome, which popped as he smashed through the stone wall of one of the towers, sent flying quite a long way by the carried momentum.

Wardes smiled triumphantly, confident that that had at least done something. Breaking through the tower walls meant destroying Square-class earth magic, so there was no way that anyone could get through that unscathed.

That certainly seemed the case as the seconds ticked past with no sign of response, and he walked closer at a fairly quick pace, sword raised and ready for a surprise attack. He couldn't be too careful after all, and of course, he kept up his own Air Dome, though he did need to chant under his breath in order to keep it active and following him.

Just as he was thinking that perhaps he'd actually succeeded in finally putting him down for good, he narrowed his eyes, raising his sword to catch Derf as the boy seemed to appear from nowhere, barreling through the ruined wall as a burst of fire erupted behind him, though it only stayed for a moment before extinguishing.

David grinned as they locked swords, the two steadily pacing to the side in a deadly circle as they fought to push the other backwards, though Wardes noticed that now, the annoying Water Dome had vanished, leaving the boy vulnerable.

And unfortunately for him, Wardes had prepared. The chant he'd made was not just to maintain his defenses after all, and the corners of his mouth lifted as he completed the two chants he'd been adding to.

"Air Dagger. Earthen Spikes."

These spells were not combat-focused, acting similar to _Wind Shear_ in that they required a lot of charging time. But once they were completed and cast, it was game over.

The ground erupted and the air around his sword shot forward in waves, and the boy shouted as his body was impaled from every angle by the sudden attack, defenseless without his Water Dome.

"Partner!" Derf called, though there was no response as the boy coughed up blood, dropping the sword on the ground next to him as he collapsed backwards.


	167. Berserker

Wardes laughed as he stood over the fallen swordsman, who stared up at him, his body unable to do more than twitch his fingers thanks to the ambush severing his muscles. He hadn't died, but he was clearly close, staring up at the man who stood over him.

"Look at you. You really can't take a hit, can you? Did that _Wind Shear_ finally take you down?" He prodded the tip of his fencing sword against the boy's chest, causing him to wince in pain as his breath was ragged and heavy. "No third wind? No more tricky magic? I'm disappointed."

He raised an eyebrow as the boy slowly lifted his left hand to point at the man, only able to use his index finger as the others stayed curled up from nerve damage, while his mouth slowly curled to a smile as he struggled to speak.

"Deception…" Wardes blinked as he noted the change in David's voice. It was feminine and clearly not a faked accent, a jarring change considering his appearance didn't alter. "Unlock."

Wardes' eyes widened as the spell was cast through the boy's finger, and the blade of his sword fell to the ground, leaving him holding the hilt alone as David did little more than grit his teeth as his arm lit up with pain at the backlash of the spell. Casting elemental magic had a massive backwards reaction to the user's body even with such a simple spell, it was no fad that every competent mage used a wand. But in David's injured state, destroying his arm really didn't make much difference, and the man standing above him stared openmouthed as he finally noticed the small detail, or rather, the lack of detail, that he'd completely missed.

The boy's hand did not contain the Gandalfr runes. His skin was smooth and void of any sort of marking not connected to the traitor's attack, and the realization meant he could piece together what was happening even before the not-David's body began to flicker.

The not-David's mouth curled to a grin as his body morphed back to its original form...that of one of Casper's many wind clones, finally revealed to the light as Wardes looked down at her.

The girl really was Tabitha's twin, her appearance identical to the other de Orleans sister save for the fact that she wore a ragged brown cloak that covered her body, the hood pulled down to reveal her head clearly. Unlike Tabitha, she did not wear glasses, having no need for them as she'd been spared from the experiences that lead to the Chevalier's bad eyesight. It made sense now why, back when she'd first appeared to David in Versailles, she hadn't wanted him to look at her. The concept of two Tabithas certainly was a confusing one, especially considering that they had the exact same affinity and class.

"So you're the guardian he mentioned." the man stated, voice level as he contained his anger at being tricked. "You took his place so he could die in peace?" His eyes narrowed. "How did you even manage to pull off that switch? When did you do it?"

Casper stared at him, before her grin turned to a wry smile as her eyes closed, head resting on the ground, the wind clone at its absolute limit from the attack. "You enabled it." she replied quietly, barely a whisper as her voicebox was ruined.

~~~A little earlier~~~

David's mind went blank as he was instantly knocked unconscious by the force of his body blasting through the stone walls of the tower, crashing into the room on the other side and sending a nightstand full of various papers and trinkets flying under the force of his impact, eliciting a shriek from the two residents as he collapsed to the ground and came to a halt. Even unconscious, his runes stayed active, working in overtime to keep his grip on Derf's hilt despite him being completely immobile now.

"What is going on?!" shouted the annoyed third year, as his "friend" blinked, jumping up from the bed they'd been in, shouting the name of the unconscious Gandalfr as she instantly went into panic mode.

Kirche was half-naked at this point in the planned rendezvous with the random boy, but that didn't matter, not when she recognized the boy bleeding out on the ground.

"What-Who is that?" the boy asked, stepping up as he noticed what had happened, his annoyed attitude switching to one of concern. David certainly was in a bad way, the attack having reopened the hole in his back and blasted him away from the safety of the Water Dome, and Gandalfr could only do so much to numb the wound and limit the blood flowing to it. The wood and paper below him was certainly ruined by the liquid pooling below him as Kirche turned him around to lie on his back. She may have been in the middle of a particularly indecent meeting, but she was still a skilled mage, and it was lucky for him that she also had enough medical knowledge to figure out the situation.

"Ferdinand, go get my shirt." she said to the boy, who blinked as he pointed to himself in surprise, and she nodded while she pulled David's mantle off and ripped the back of his shirt so she could access the injury.

The thing she grabbed from nearby wasn't her wand, but it was vaguely stick-shaped so it would be good enough for the emergency as she chanted, a fairly long one consisting of seven words before she was cut off by someone speaking, which also stopped the third-year in his tracks as he was making his way back to her with the uniform shirt.

"Fire magic's useless, it's Wellspring." came a female voice, and Kirche blinked in surprised as what appeared to be Tabitha, dressed in rags, appeared before them, kneeling down to rest her hand on the boy's back below the wound, her eyes unreadable as she observed the third year briefly before returning her gaze to the unconscious Gandalfr.

Ferdinand blinked at the statement, confused by the wording. "Wellspring?" he asked, but he was promptly ignored as Kirche nodded, apparently understanding as she cancelled the spell she'd been attempting to cast.

"In my shirt, in the left inside pocket, there's a vial." she stated, turning to the confused third-year. "Give it to me, if this is Wellspring-caused, then it's the only way I can think of to neutralize it."

"N-Neutralize?!" Still, even without answers, the poor boy obeyed, carefully removing the vial from the pocket she'd mentioned and walking over to hand it gently to her.

She nodded, stabbing the cork with her nail and tugging it out with a flick as she looked inside, sighing as she showed "Tabitha" the contents. "I don't know why you're here, or how you know what Wellspring is, but you recognize this, right?"

The girl looked inside, narrowing her eyes in surprise before nodding, exhaling heavily as she hummed quietly to herself, an uncharacteristic trait that she'd never shown before, but Kirche knew this was an emergency so no doubt she was acting differently.

"I didn't know you kept the Tear of the Water Spirit." she stated, and Kirche nodded, looking down to talk while she worked.

"I took a little while we were on the way back to your manor, thought it might come in handy later. It's a cure-all for any poison no matter the type, and forgive me but I couldn't let all of that go to just your mother…"

"It's alright. She didn't need so much anyway, it was simply to ensure that it worked as quickly as possible. Pour it into his wound, the raw Tear should be fine."

Kirche nodded, tilting the vial to let the magical water drip onto the wound as Ferdinand stood aside. "What should I do?" he asked, and Casper looked up at him, shaking her head.

"Stay hidden. The battle's still ongoing, it's not safe to come out yet." She looked down at David's hand gripping Derf, and wrapped her own around his, briefly holding the position for a few seconds before pulling his fingers apart, taking the sword as his runes faded, causing his body to briefly shake before going still again as she stood up, holding the sword in one hand and the gnarled stick that was her wand in the other. She cast a transformation spell, her body morphing into that of the boy, though she could not replicate the specially-engraved runes on his hand. It would be good enough though, and she nodded as she spoke in his voice.

"I'm going to be the bait for a little while, so when you're finished here, give him that knife he has sheathed at his waist. Gandalfr will handle the rest assuming it reverses enough damage for him to reawaken."

She turned to leave before Kirche reached to grab her hand, the girl staring with a concerned expression. "Tabitha, are you going to go fight someone who did this to him? What if you-"

"I'm not Tabitha." Casper stated flatly, her head shaking as she looked forward out of the hole in the wall, which was still covered by slowly-settling dust. "I'll explain everything afterwards. I'll be fine, this me isn't even real. It's just a wind clone, there's still two more elsewhere in the academy. I promise, I'll tell both you and Tabitha what's going on and why I'm here. She'll know more than I do."

Kirche blinked, before hesitantly letting go of the girl, her expression hardening to one of seriousness as she nodded. "Okay. I trust you…"

"Casper. Casper the Friendly Wind Clone."

~~~In the present~~~

Perhaps it was simply a clone, but it was still a pathetic sight to see such a strong mage broken and defeated on the ground like this, only able to wait for her death.

Still, she'd accomplished her task. She still didn't really know what had brought on the change in the boy she was defending, but she was intelligent. She'd used it to their advantage, and now, Wardes had lost his weapon. With what she had sensed was coming, their victory was all but assured.

"So, you're here, broken and beaten, and I just have to go find that annoying kid next. Was that your plan? To delay the inevitable?"

The dying clone couldn't keep her body together now, beginning to break back down into the magic that comprised her as she laughed, coughing up blood and raising her head again.

"Ch...Checkmate." she stated, and Wardes blinked as her body vanished entirely, before his eyes widened, his Air Dome detecting something moving behind him.

He whirled around, pulling the round mirror from inside his tunic in preparation, though he was still shocked by the sight before him.

This time, he knew it wasn't a fake, the runes glowing brightly as David ran from the tower, on a direct collision course with the ex-Captain. His footsteps were far between as he practically leapt towards the man, and his expression was completely neutral, not a shred of emotion as he swung the knife in his left hand back and forth to his side.

"Lightning bolt!" Wardes called, raising the handle of his dismantled sword to cast the spell, though it proved ineffective as David's rubber shoe hit the ground, blocking the current and completely negating the cast by simple insulation, though Wardes wouldn't notice such a small detail as he instinctively raised the round mirror to hopefully absorb whatever magic the Gandalfr was using.

Of course, being that this was not a spell that was being used, that plan failed, and he was in for another surprise as the boy's right hand came forth in a fist, revealing the Ruby of Wind situated on his finger. It was a brief flash of detail that was burned into Wardes' mind before the boy brought his fist forward, slamming the ring directly into the gemstone on the top of the mirror.

The force of the impact cracked the gem and transferred into Wardes' arm, dragging his hand down and out of the way as his eyes widened, his body falling backwards as he briefly registered the sharp pain in his chest.

David had landed a hit, sinking the knife as far into the man's sternum as it could go and dragging them both down to the ground, his face still as blank as before. There was no emotion as he pulled the knife out, bringing it down again repeatedly as Wardes weakly attempted to fight back, though that initial strike had been all that was necessary.

In his rune-controlled haze, David could do nothing but continue to stab the man, long after he'd gone still.


	168. Innocentius

Even days after the battle, when David finally woke up, he could still barely move, his body simply too exhausted to do much but lie still as he did his best to ignore the numbness that seemed all he could feel right now.

He'd been awake for about an hour now, but had kept his eyes closed, too tired to even acknowledge the nurse who had come by to replenish the weak healing potion he'd evidently been fed repeatedly to help repair the massive damage he'd sustained.

Still, despite not being responsive, he had been able to listen in on the conversations around him, gleaning some information about what had happened in the time since he'd lost his senses. The battle itself seemed oddly absent in their words, mostly discussing the aftermath instead.

Evidently Henrietta had arrived shortly after the battle took place, followed by a Romalian convoy that had been visiting for other reasons. While they weren't around at this time, he did know someone else, who he didn't recognize, had been sitting nearby for most of the time he'd been conscious, not doing very much but crack jokes to the staff.

Eventually, the boy had gained enough energy to open his eyes and turn his head to look around his surroundings.

He was in a room, his bed the only one unlike in the school's group infirmary. No wonder there hadn't really been any background noise, he seemed the only patient here.

His thoughts were cut off as he noticed the other person who'd been in the room, the man grinning as he noticed the boy's awakening.

As he stood up, David could get a good look at him, briefly thinking that he was seeing Wardes in his delirious state before his vision came back to clarity.

The man wore the same getup that Wardes used to, a flowing blue cape that covered his body and a triangular hat situated crookedly on his head, covering one eye while the other poked out from the brim, a bright green that possessed neither the sharp edge nor the cautious gaze that Wardes possessed.

The man smiled, a warm expression completely different from anything Wardes was capable of. "Welcome back to the world of the living."

"...Thanks." David's throat was hoarse, and he shifted uncomfortably at the large numb spot in his back. "You're…"

"Kent." the man said, waving as he laughed. "Osmond needed help rebuilding, so I got sent in. I'm an earth mage."

The door to the small room opened, alerting the two as Agnes walked in, a frown on her face at the sight of the man. "Downplaying everything as usual I see, Innocentius."

Kent laughed, bringing his hands to his sides and performing a small bow to the woman. "Oh, come now, Agnes. You know I hate that name, I'm Kent!"

Agnes sighed as she shook her head, walking to stand at the other side of David's bed and looking down at the boy. "It's been a while, David." she stated briefly, before glancing at the man. "That's Innocentius, and despite his annoying exterior, he's a Chevalier as well as the new captain of the Griffin Knights...and one of the few square-class mages in existence."

The man laughed as he sat back down on the chair he'd been in, arm loosely hanging on the headrest. "Yeah, yeah. I've been basically the captain for years now, Wardes was always off on some mission or another and didn't have time for us subordinates. Though, now that I think about it, maybe it wasn't exactly time taken off by order of Tristain."

"You're far too nonchalant about this." she stated as David looked between the two, unsure how to react to the casual mention that this random guy he'd never even heard of was apparently someone very important. "You've been a Chevalier since Queen Marianne was still a princess, and you've worked under Wardes that whole time. Aren't you surprised or concerned at all?"

The man blinked, tilting his head. "Why should I be? I don't think any of us Griffin Knights were really fond of the guy, he was too much of a stickler for rules and was kind of suspicious anyway." He waved off the rest of the question, resting his head back and looking up at the ceiling. "Ah, Marianne...I remember how spectacular a duo she and Karin made. It's too bad Karin's settled down and retired now. If she was still leading the Manticore Knights, this whole Reconquista mess would have ended years ago."

David attempted to sit up, before finding himself blocked by Kent casually setting a hand on his chest, forcing him to stay in position. "Don't move around, your injuries are still healing. You sustained some serious damage, you know."

"What...What happened, exactly?" David asked. "Everything's…" He had to clamp his mouth before accidentally saying anything about how different things had become, before Agnes sighed again, crossing her arms.

"Innocentius has been briefed on New Divide, we couldn't keep such a secret from him. There are four divisions in the royal guard, the Griffin, Dragon, and Manticore Knights along with the Musketeer Squad, and every captain is aware of your plan...though only Innocentius and I are aware of who is leading it." She exhaled heavily, gazing at the Gandalfr. "He insisted on coming when he heard you were in the center of the battle, and he's the kind of person to make things happen his way."

The man grinned, laughing as he removed his hand from David's chest. "Of course! I was curious to see the face of a man who fought so bravely for the country! After all, it seems like those loyal to the crown are becoming so rare recently…"

David blinked, before groaning as he sat up, ignoring the two Chevaliers' protests as he fought against the numbness in his joints. The blanket over him fell to reveal his upper body, which was almost completely covered in bandages, and he noted that his right hand was also particularly covered, though oddly, the Ring of Wind still rested on his finger. Had they not removed it when they realized what it was?

"What happened while I was out? Was everyone okay? Louise? And Wales-" He was cut off by Agnes' gauntleted finger against his lips, eyes widening in surprise as the two adults' expression went grim.

"All of the students and staff made it out with minimal damage, and the damage done to the towers is almost repaired now. Likewise, Miss Valliere has woken again, and has since recovered. She wasn't particularly hurt, just knocked out with a sleeping potion." Kent stated, standing up straight. "But, Wales Tudor…"

"He was killed in combat." Agnes stated flatly, having no other tone that could suit the statement. "There was nothing that could be done, even if we had more of the Tear of the Water Spirit that kept you alive."

David blinked, and the woman removed her finger to allow him to look down, crossing his arms and ignoring the throbbing in his left shoulder. "I...I see. And Henrietta? I heard she was here."

"Her Highness is taking things at her own pace. When you've recuperated enough to move around by wheelchair, she'll meet with you and brief you on the situation. We received reports from people observing you at the time about what happened. Tell me, David. Do you actually remember killing Jean Jacques?"

The boy blinked, confused by the name. "Who is that?" he asked, and she sighed.

"We can't keep calling him Wardes, that's not actually his surname. Warde is an estate in northern Tristain, which is also now under Innocentius' control. He's mostly inherited everything Jean Jacques was a part of, really."

David nodded in understanding, before shaking his head to answer the question. "I...I just have a hole in my memory. The last thing I remember happening was getting sent into a wall and getting knocked out. Everything after that is dark. Who actually defeated him?"

The woman hesitated, glancing at the other Chevalier, who nodded, so she turned back to the boy. "You did. It appears that you unleashed some sort of hidden power during the fight, and used it to kill him. Your phantom friend mentioned it was connected to your runes but didn't explain further."

David glanced down at his left hand, though the runes were covered by the bandages currently. "A hidden power? What does that mean?" He mused to himself, before realizing another thing she'd said. "Wait, Casper talked to you?"

Agnes nodded, shrugging. "We never saw her, only heard her voice. She didn't say much other than that she is a proponent of New Divide and had been protecting you. She sounded very apologetic for allowing you to get so injured, so I chose to trust her. Apparently she went to speak with Kirche von Zerbst, who was the one that administered the Tear of the Water Spirit to your main injury."

"Will it heal?" he asked, choosing to set aside the avalanche of information for later. "It doesn't hurt right now, but it's kind of annoying."

Kent took over here, chuckling at the boy. "It'll heal, but it's going to scar. Alchemy can help most wounds, but that particular one is a bit trickier than most. It had Wellspring components to it, so that tear happened to be the only thing keeping you alive. It'll mostly heal, but, hey, you'll get a cool scar out of it!"


	169. Gathering

David frowned as he was wheeled along, still not stable enough to walk on his own as Kent used his earth magic to push him safely down the stairway, with Agnes leading to ensure that he didn't slip. "Where are we? This doesn't look like anywhere I've been."

"The central tower, a couple floors up. The infirmary was damaged by the Explosion since it's located below the ballroom, so we had to bring you to an empty room instead. It wasn't particularly due to you being high-priority, mostly you were the only person who actually needed medical attention."

"...I guess that makes sense, you did say that nobody else got involved. And Louise? Where is she?" It didn't occur to him until just now that he really hadn't talked to the pinkette in a while. He couldn't even imagine how she must have reacted, assuming she'd actually been told about what had occurred.

Then again, there was still the nagging detail that she didn't seem to know Wardes. It was odd, she should have, yet the last time he'd mentioned him, she'd acted as if he was purely an enemy in her eyes. Wasn't she engaged to him at one point?

"She's in her dorm, being briefed on a different matter." Agnes stated, and was about to continue before Kent interrupted, and while she made a sour face at being cut off, she said nothing.

"She came by multiple times every day while you were unconscious and kept pestering me about whether you'd woken up or not. Must be nice having a master who cares about you." He tapped his chin in thought. "Where did my familiar go, anyway?"

Agnes sighed, shaking her head. "You act like you haven't seen him in years. You told him to patrol the skies two days ago."

The man blinked, humming to himself before grinning. "Oh yeah! I forgot."

The woman simply groaned and rolled her eyes. "You're an idiot, you know that?" she asked, and frowned as the man reached forward over the wheelchair-bound boy to run his hand in her hair, much to her annoyance.

"Now, now. That's no way to talk to your father."

~~~Outside the building~~~

The conversation had continued without much of importance, mostly just Kent bantering about things that didn't matter and Agnes insulting him for various shortcomings. It was an odd sight, witnessing Agnes being so open with how she felt about someone, but it made it clear that these two were closer than he'd thought. It really served to remind him that there was a whole history prior to his arrival, and proved that he really didn't know as much as he thought he did, if he wasn't even aware that Agnes had such a father figure.

His thoughts were broken as he frowned, witnessing the sight of the fields around the central tower. The hole in the ballroom had been repaired, to great success surprisingly enough, he couldn't even tell where the boundary was, but the grounds were not so lucky.

The pocks and mounds formed from the battle were filled in and flattened, but the grass was still dead, dug up and most likely burned to prevent a fire hazard, so it left large patches of empty dirt that would take weeks to grow over again.

The academy had survived, but it would wield its scars for a little longer. David's eyes moved back and forth as he recognized the places that he'd been standing in, and his hand clenched at the memory.

Wales was dead. Wardes had stolen Louise's magic and turned it against them, and though he was dead now, the knowledge that it was possible to gain void without being a void mage had been unleashed. Perhaps it was still limited to only a few key figures who were aware, but still, this battle was going to change the way magic was viewed in this world. He couldn't deny that things were going to change from here on out, and events would only snowball.

New Divide needed to seriously rethink his strategy and his goals after this.

As he was guided into the Water tower that held the second-year student dorms, he blinked as he found himself blinded by a blanket being tossed over him, hearing Kent laugh as he adjusted the blanket to cover himself. He had forgotten he wasn't wearing a shirt right now, only bandages blocking his skin from the air, so the blanket was a nice way to cover himself as he looked at the person who'd given him the item.

"So, you're still here?" Kent asked as Agnes simply continued walking, hardly paying attention as she chose to simply continue on her path alone, while David stared in surprise at the figure.

What was Julio doing here? It was way too early for him to show up, and even if it was due to the battle, why would Romalia get involved?

Evidently, his shock had been visible as the heterochromatic man smiled, holding a gloved hand out. "It's nice to meet you, David. I'm Julio Chesare, a flamen of His Holiness, Saint Aegis the 32nd...You know what, saying all those titles every time I introduce myself is really exhausting. I'm Julio, familiar of Vittorio Serevare."

The ease at which the man admitted to being a void familiar blindsided David, who could only let out a "Huh." in response, before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "And, um, I'm...David, familiar of Louise de la Valliere."

Julio smiled, a softer expression than Kent's wide grins but still one that showed off his optimistic nature as he turned to the earth mage, nodding to him. "Thank you for taking care of him, I've been looking forward to meeting the newest addition to us void familiars."

Kent laughed, shaking his head. "It's not you who's really interested in him, isn't it?" he asked. "That girl you brought with you was really keen on learning more about him. Is she still here?"

Julio nodded as the group continued walking, though Agnes had vanished by now, headed upstairs long ago. "She's talking to Louise about something, but she didn't want me around to listen."

"Women have conversations that men aren't allowed to take part in sometimes." Kent stated. "I remember when Agnes was just getting into her teenage years and would often run off without telling anyone. It lead to a lot of time spent searching for her, but the thing is, she never even was doing anything wrong! What kind of teenager rebels just so they can do pottery?!"

The thought of a younger Agnes sitting at a pottery wheel was funny to say the least, and David couldn't help but let out a snerk at the imagery, causing the two to look at him as Julio smiled.

"There's some emotion!" he stated proudly. "I knew there was something that could crack you, you've been looking gloomy since you came in here. You don't have to worry, everything is being handled."

David blinked, before realizing that the man's smile was infectious as his own mouth curled upward, nodding. "Yeah, sorry. It's just that there's been a lot going on in a short amount of time recently, I've been getting caught up on things."

"Well, there's going to be a little more to discuss, of course. But for now, focus on reuniting with people. It's better to focus on the good when something bad has happened." The group finally made it to Louise's dorm, where Julio reached to knock on the door a couple times, before the sound of someone moving could be heard.

The door opened quickly, Louise having all but ripped it off its hinges as she stood staring forward with an expression combining anger and worry as she stared at the Gandalfr, her hair loose and in her face as she'd not bothered to fix the long strands. "Idiot dog!"

He hadn't heard that insult in a long time, but the cracking in her voice and the wild expression in her eyes made it clear that she wasn't really trying to insult him for anything.

The girl was shaking, clearly holding herself back from jumping at the boy as he was wheeled in by the two men, smiling at the girl as he passed by her. He noted the water in her eyes, though she wasn't crying. He suspected that she'd already had her share of that in the last few days.

"It's good to know you're alright." he said, and she frowned.

"You're scarred and covered in bandages, and you're saying I'm okay? What about you? You were barely breathing for the entire first day! They kept saying that your lung could be permanently damaged!"

David chuckled at her concern, shaking her head. "I'm fine. I can breathe alright, it's just kind of numb. Nothing I can't handle."

"You almost died!" the pinkette shouted, before going quiet as she heard her name spoken softly by someone else, reminding David that they weren't the only ones in here.

Agnes had arrived, standing guard near the bed while another knight that he didn't recognize had taken his couch, completely covered in the armor she wore, which was relatively small like Agnes' outfit but still covered every inch of skin, along with having an extended breastplate as she was most likely more well-endowed than the Chevalier. Still, he couldn't tell who this other person was as her head was also completely covered by her helmet, the only hint to her identity being the strands of blonde hair extending behind her and in two strands over her shoulders.

He only glanced at the newcomer for a brief moment as he realized that on the bed sat the one person he really wasn't ready to see, and who happened to be the one that had spoken her childhood friend's name.

Acting more formal than usual, her arms were clasped in her lap as she sat up straight, smiling softly at the boy as he was moved near the center of the room, which was increasingly cramped with this many people inside now.

"You shouldn't shout at him so soon after he's woken." Henrietta said to her friend as Louise turned to face her, the princess' soothing voice enough to calm the girl to listen. "Let's all be calm and collected, we don't need to allow any more chaos after what's happened."


	170. Recline

**So, the second anniversary of this story is coming very soon! What do you guys think I should do for it? Last year I did an omake chapter, so what should this year be about? We have 6 days!**

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David became suddenly much more aware of the pain in his body as he gazed at the princess, who sat calmly as if nothing was wrong. There wasn't a hint of sadness on her face, only her usual small smile, and the skin around her eyes was pristine unlike the redness on Louise's face.

"It's been a while since we got to talk without anything looming over our heads, David." Henrietta stated, keeping her hands together in her lap as Agnes stood by, idly patting the short void mage's head while the men and the other knight stayed out of the conversation. "But, unfortunately, it seems that yet again, that opportunity hasn't come. Once again, we meet under serious circumstances."

He couldn't quite pin what tone she was going for. It wasn't her usual formal phrasing, and it wasn't the excited rambling she sometimes went on like back when they'd first met. Thinking about it, perhaps it was simply her effort to mask her true feelings on the matter. He knew she couldn't possibly be as pristine inside as her face implied. Not when Wales was the one unable to speak to her anymore.

"I know what you're thinking, so stop it. All of us need some time to process what has happened, so as long as we're all inside this room, none of us are special. There is no rank here, no history, and no class. We're all just simply friends at a gathering, and nothing outside is out of the ordinary. Do you understand?"

He was silent for several seconds, glancing at Louise, who nodded before wiping her face with the corner of her mantle to clear away the water in her eyes. He nodded back before turning to the princess, nodding without saying anything. Nothing really needed to be said, he really did understand what she meant.

Julio's words echoed in his head as he realized just how accurate they were. The aftermath could wait, for now it was best to focus on the good. There was a lot lost, but there was still much that was still around. Everyone here was still alive after all.

That's what he had to think about right now. Everyone who had not died, who he'd successfully protected by getting involved. His right hand clenched as he glanced at the ring, shining lavender in the light. He smiled, before moving to take it off, setting it in his palm and extending his hand outward to Henrietta, who blinked and tilted her head.

"Those rings are different from normal jewelry, you know." the unnamed knight said, her voice muffled by the helmet she wore. "It was given to you specifically, was it not?"

David turned his head to her, his arm lowering in confusion. "Well, yeah, but it was just-"

"It was given to you specifically, was it not?" the girl repeated, this time speaking in an authoritative tone as he instinctively nodded, a motion that she copied as she crossed her arms in satisfaction. "Then don't give it away so easily. While we are all equal inside this room, that artifact is above all of us. Handing it to someone else is the same as giving up the throne."

"Throne? What are you-" He couldn't finish his sentence as she interrupted him again.

"The previous holder was Wales, the crown prince of Albion. By giving you that ring, he was placing its fate in your hands. As long as you carry it, you are royalty, even if it has little meaning for a country whose leadership is in debate. Even if only in name, that ring marks you as a prince."

"'King of Commoners', indeed." Agnes said, and he jolted as the woman chuckled. "Who'd have thought that term would come true in such a way? Perhaps His Highness was right to put his faith in you so easily."

Henrietta sighed, fluttering her hands to either side of her body. "I guess expecting everyone to just act like normal friends wasn't possible, was it?" she asked. "I was hoping to avoid the topic of that ring, it's more complicated than Julio's escort makes it seem. As for 'King of Commoners'...The position of Chevalier is still open."

Kent laughed as he pushed the boy forward, against David's will as he was moved much closer to the purple-haired girl, who laughed at his bewildered expression. "After today, I'm sure you've noticed how much we desperately need another Chevalier, one who is not bound by the same conventional rules the others are. After you rejected the last few times, we did find one more, Cheri of the Musketeer Squad, but she doesn't have the same experience with magic that you do. You would be a perfect addition to Tristain's forces, and we could finally publicize New Divide's identity. I'm aware that the name was revealed here, but not as any more than a spy for the crown."

The unnamed knight stiffened at the title, but couldn't say anything before David's quick response. "No." He glanced down, this time at his left hand. "Today has taught me a lot, and it reminded me that I'm even weaker than I thought I was. Casper hasn't come back to me yet, but it sounds like she was guarding me the entire time, and the one time she didn't, it was because I'd lost control of myself completely. I don't even remember what happened, but it sounded like the runes took my body over."

"Berserker." Julio said, and he looked at the familiar, who had crossed his arms and leaned on the couch, to the armored knight's chagrin. "It's a term I've heard before, but it's exceedingly rare. It appears to be an attribute of Gandalfr, but there's only been a few examples, and even fewer that are in Romalia's records. Evidently the last known user was Gunther Bloodborne, but the only evidence of his existence we've found is first person testimony from your sword."

"Derf? Where is it?" David asked, and the man waved his hand nonchalantly.

"Calm down. It is being stored in Osmond's office right now because it kept shouting obscenities at anyone who went near it. It seems it's not interested in being wielded by anyone but you."

"...How did you get it up there, then?" David asked, sweatdropping at the story.

"Casper carried it, but she also shouted similar words when offered help. She isn't a fan of being seen by people, evidently. I do wonder why, but I'm not about to ask her."

"That...doesn't sound like them at all. They're both normally more reasonable than that."

"David, everyone's a little jumpy." Louise said, sighing as she sat down heavily on the bed next to her childhood friend. "Other than Juluio, everyone here was involved somehow if only in a small part. I mean, look at me. It's because of my magic that this all happened in the first place. It's-"

She wasn't able to finish her statement as something thwacked against the window, causing the more alert residents of the room to jump as they turned to witness a crow jumping back onto the windowsill after smacking into the glass, surprisingly bending its head down to push the pane upwards and give it space to enter.

The group watched as it flapped wildly, attempting to gain lift before giving up and simply hopping on the top of the Romalian knight's helmet, twitching its head to look around the room before setting its sights on the surprised Gandalfr, who immediately recognized it from the mannaz rune carved in its beak.

Nevermore had vanished during the battle, but it seemed it was back. "Hello, Nevermore. How are you?"

"Nevermore tired! Flew from Lutece!"

"Gallia? Why were you there?" Kent asked, evidently not shocked in the slightest at the talking bird.

"Sheffield called Nevermore!" the bird cawked, hopping on the helmet as the knight stayed still, clearly wanting to move but unable to for fear of the bird scratching her.

David's eyes narrowed, and he internally cursed himself. He'd completely forgotten about Sheffield, the woman knew about New Divide's existence and was still one of, if not the, most dangerous threats to the plan in the world. What could she possibly-

Nevermore spoke, and his eyes widened at the simple message. It was only two words long, but that statement, spoken in a crow's mimicry of a soft-spoken woman, was all he need to hear as his frown morphed to a grin.

Things were looking up for them now. For some reason, those two words were exactly what he needed to hear. Sheffield's timing couldn't be better.

Perhaps New Divide was better equipped than he thought.


	171. Two Words

**So, it may come as a bit of a surprise since I forgot to announce it last chapter, but this is the final chapter of the first season! Hooray!**

 **There will be information at the bottom of the chapter on some things, so please read on.**

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Word of Wardes' attack may not have yet spread beyond Tristain's borders, but the effect it had on magic was tangible, the act of a non-void mage casting Explosion creating ripples in the other users, though most current void mages and familiars were not tuned enough to their power to feel it.

However, the oldest of the four, Joseph de Gallia, and his familiar, were immediately made aware, their senses so entangled with their power that it was a near-instantaneous reflex for Sheffield to arrive in Lutece behind the king, who sat with his head placed in his hands, laced together as he sighed.

He had been in the middle of a meeting, the Gallian Council seated at the large table he reserved for discussions like the one he'd been having currently. It was nothing special, just finances and economics that he routinely had to discuss every few months or so.

The members of the Council were the only important nobles that were aware of his true nature, most of the men and women sitting here already under his thumb. While he still maintained his Brainless King facade, they were his puppets, performing tasks and passing laws under his shadow command. The two-part act had its purpose, but even they weren't entirely certain what it was.

In any case, they had noticed his reaction, along with the Mjöðvitnir popping into existence behind him as the elderly man sitting nearest him blinked.

"Your Highness? You suddenly stopped mid-sentence, are you alright?"

"It's not often that you stop when you've started on a rant. You aren't sick, are you? I recall that Sheffield was sick recently, was she not? You may have caught her illness."

"I'm alright, thank you for your concern." Joseph stated, his voice low as he grit his teeth. "My Void simply reacted to something."

"Is there a threat? Should we-" a woman asked, before being cut off by his raising his hand.

"It is no concern of yours. If there was a threat, then Myozunitonirun would have warned me ahead of time. Likewise, Isabella made a bet with me that something big would happen soon. It seems I have a bit of rearranging to do with her Parterre, I know she's been complaining about a few of the newcomers."

His gambling with his daughter was nothing unusual, barely even worth a knowing raise of an eyebrow by a couple of the members watching him.

"Myozunitonirun." he stated, and Sheffield stiffened, an affirmative sound coming from her as he turned to the side, though he didn't look at her, rather keeping his gaze down, pointed somewhere off in the distance. "Investigate the disturbance, your ability to trace magic far exceeds mine. I expect a report in a week. If it does not come, then I will assume that all is well, or that you've failed. Also, write a note requesting that Tabitha be pulled out of school. I have a new mission to send her on for the duration of the summer."

"Aye, sir. And what of Josette?"

He narrowed his eyes, tightening the grip his fingers had on each other. "I know of no one by that name."

The woman was about to protest, before coughing into her hand, closing her eyes as she was reminded of the fate of the second Orleans twin. She'd been foolish enough to bet her title against Isabella, so it was entirely her fault that her existence had been erased. Wherever she was now, she legally did not exist in Gallia...And Joseph possessed no love even for his niece when she didn't exist anymore.

"My apologies, sir. I must have confused the name with Georgia's." The former Duchess de Orleans, now still recovering from her years of insanity in Versailles.

"Georgia? Oh, yes, her. I wish to speak with her about Tabitha at some point, remind me to do so." The woman was about to leave, before she was stopped by him saying his favored nickname for her again. "And check on the construction of the Firestones in your labs. I cannot enter, after all, so please report how Bidashal is doing."

She nodded, and as he gave no more instructions, she vanished from sight, leaving the king to return to his discussion as if nothing had happened.

~~~In Sheffield's suite~~~

The woman appeared in her study, sending a few papers fluttering from the wind generated by her arrival.

She didn't like it here. Once, these sealed-off rooms that only she could access had been her safe haven, but for months now, it had been like a self-imposed prison, and as soon as she set foot on the carpet, she found her forehead lighting up with the aching that usually followed when she released her thoughts.

New Divide. She still had not yet said anything about it, not to Joseph, and not even to Isabella or Tabitha. All this time, she still hadn't yet decided what she wanted to do.

By now, she'd learned a little more through Nevermore, but she still didn't know his face or name, a self-imposed rule that she'd instructed the crow not to tell her. She didn't want to know the identity of this odd person until she was certain she knew what side of his ideals she followed.

A man who knew the world despite only entering it recently, and who appeared to have far-reaching goals that would influence more than just Tristain. He knew Joseph's clueless exterior was a fraud, and that she existed at all.

Whether she got involved or not, eventually she would have to meet him, and then she'd have to decide what she wanted. This wasn't about Joseph this time. She was loyal to the man, but she had to admit that there was something saccharine about the thought of a stranger who knew the world better than she ever could. Joseph had told her before that he was sometimes annoyed by how dependent she was, so this time, she'd make a decision on her own terms.

She blinked as, through the open window of the room, a black bird flew through, perching on the desk holding the various notebooks she used as her personal journal as she smiled softly at the creature.

She hadn't even realized she'd called Nevermore. How had it even gotten here? The disturbance she'd felt had been only within the last few minutes, so how could it possibly have gotten here so quickly when it was a three day journey to the academy by air?

The bird was silent, twitching its head spastically as it waited, for what she didn't know. Was it waiting for an answer? Did the bird she'd given sentience understand the struggle going on inside her head right now?

She stepped forward, raising a hand as the crow lowered its head, letting her run her fingers along its feathers. This crow was much like her, now that she thought about it. A creature controlled by another, but who still had a will of its own. She'd given it the ability to make its own decisions, and in return, it had remained loyal to her, the mannaz rune she'd carved into its beak remaining glowing.

Was she going to betray Joseph's trust? The man had saved her life all those years ago, until now she had never even thought to go against him. But now…

Now, she wanted to be like this crow. She would still follow Joseph, of course, but now, she wanted to be a part of something bigger. She didn't want to be Myozunitonirun anymore. She wanted to be Sheffield.

She wanted to be a part of this stranger's plan. She didn't know why, but it drew her interest, and now, she gave two words for the bird to deliver.

"I'm in."

* * *

 **So that's that! The first season, which is not very cleverly titled "First Semester" in my notes, has ended with the finale of the Battle of the Academy arc!**

 **I hope everyone's enjoyed so far, and don't worry, there won't be any special transitions or anything. On the 16th, I will release a new anniversary chapter, which I have finally decided on now, and it will serve as the transition between the seasons. Hooray for development!**

 **After that, whenever the next chapter comes out, it will begin the "Aftermath Arc" kicking off Season 2. Here's hoping for another year of hype!**


	172. Second Anniversary!

**The second anniversary has arrived, and with it comes a new omake chapter! This one will act as a transition between seasons 1 and 2, and like last year, is noncanon.**

 **After doing the revisions of the early chapters, I've really had Tabitha on the mind, so this year's anniversary chapter is an alternate future: What if David got with Tabitha post-Albion War?**

 **The chapter is set years later, though the exact time doesn't matter. There's absolutely no hidden things in this chapter to pay attention to. Just enjoy!**

* * *

"Again." David stated, standing with his wooden sword in hand as he watched the young blue-haired girl, who'd fallen on her rear after attempting to take a swing at the man.

Sasha de Orleans had the same drive to fight that her father possessed, and as soon as she turned eight, she'd asked to start training under him. The girl was intelligent, far smarter than most people her age, but it made perfect sense considering her heritage. David himself wasn't particularly smart, but Tabitha was a natural genius, and that carried over to their child from before she could even walk.

Now, with her magic just beginning to show its head, he'd also accepted her request to train her, and now, a year after they'd begun, she was steadily getting stronger. Of course, the bruises on her body proved that there was no way she'd be able to beat the experienced Gandalfr, not for another several decades, but he still could recognize her building strength and agility.

As the girl stood up, her grip tightened on her own sword, overly large for her small stature as he'd immediately put her to using a regular-sized weapon. There was no reason to scale down anything for her training, she'd learn nothing that way.

Sasha ran forward, raising the sword up as her eyes narrowed, doing her best to copy the tunnel vision her father possessed in combat. It was an effective strategy to ignore all unnecessary variables, and one that against an equal opponent would prove just as destructive as it had in the early era of David's Berserker State.

Of course, against his superior height and experience, it took little more than the flick of his wrist to completely block her weapon with his own as she once again was sent reeling into the ground, her grip loosening to send her wooden sword skittering across the dirt of the Versailles courtyard.

This is how it had gone every day for the last year. Still, she'd improved drastically in that time. Back when they first began, she'd often end up a puddle of tears within a couple strikes, but her determination and drive to advance had lead to the now regular occurrence of her coming back inside hours later, needing attention for the many scrapes and bruises left over from the repeated beating into the ground.

Still, even when they finished nowadays, even on the particularly rough sessions where David truly didn't let up on her, she never backed down, even when Sheffield complained about the disturbing image of such a young child in such a damaged state. David was a harsh instructor.

Now, as the girl stood up again, David looked upwards, humming as he mused over the darkening sky. "We should probably head inside." he said, turning to face her again as once again her sideswipe proved totally ineffective. "Tabitha is back from Romalia, aren't you excited to see her again?"

Being born of the royal family meant the woman was often away as the nations had become much closer after the wars that went on years ago, so seeing his wife again for the first time in over a month was something he dearly wanted, and based on the speed at which his daughter sheathed the weapon on her belt showed off her own feelings on the matter as she grinned, an expression he gladly returned.

"Let's go." he said, waving for her to follow as he turned to head back into the mansion, the child skipping behind him as her personality completely switched to that of the excitable girl she was whenever she was not holding a sword.

It seemed that, despite Gandalfr not being inheritable, she still had gained some of the attributes he had developed over the years.

~~~An hour later~~~

David smiled as he leaned back in his chair, watching as Sasha bounced on her mother's leg, the nine-year-old still enjoying this peaceful company just as much as she did combat training.

Tabitha hadn't filled out much since they were younger, having only gained a couple inches and proportionally stayed almost identical, which made the sight all the stranger considering that Sasha had inherited her father's height, which was abnormal in this world despite being relatively standard in his own. Coupled with her unchanged glasses frames, she almost looked exactly the same as she had when they first met.

"How was the trip?" he asked the woman, who looked away from her daughter, whose shoulder she'd wrapped an arm around to keep the child balanced.

"Casper was my guard." she said simply, and he nodded, the curt reply more than enough information to answer the question. "How were you? Considering our daughter was black and blue when I saw her, it must have been fun."

Sasha giggled as she poked Tabitha's chin with a finger, the woman looking back down at her with a small smile as the girl chattered about the day's activities.

David was still a warrior at heart, but he enjoyed these moments as well. The whole family were often out and about, handling the Parterres or some issue going on somewhere, so when they could be together like this, it was the best feeling in the world. It would be even more perfect if Sheffield were around, but as usual, the former familiar was in Lutece, advising Isabella since the queen rarely paid much attention to important issues.

Sheffield was Sasha's godmother, and the two were of like minds, getting along even better than either did with the couple. If they weren't so many years apart, and if Sasha wasn't privately tutored, they would have been best friends in school for sure.

The man closed his eyes, idly listening to the girl chattering and his wife's brief replies, the Square-class mage still preferring to speak as little as possible just as she always had.

The early stages of his relationship with Tabitha had been rocky, but that was normal considering how different they were. Once the war had ended and things had settled, and they'd made public their new relationship, things had gone relatively smoothly from that point on.

There'd been some grating with Henrietta and Agnes when he announced that he'd be moving to Gallia, but eventually they'd come around, provided he accepted the title of Chevalier despite no longer being Tristainian. Soon enough he'd also gained the position when Isabella took over, giving him the title in both countries.

Meanwhile, around the same time, Tabitha had finally stepped up against Joseph, and after a conflict that resulted in Isabella taking the throne, everything had truly calmed down. Nowadays, the worst that they had to deal with were bandits and brigands that thought they could go against them. The invincible mage and the unstoppable swordsman, undoubtedly the strongest Chevaliers in the present time.

But that didn't matter now. He didn't want to think about the past or the fights he'd been in, nor did he care. Right now, he just wanted to enjoy the company of his family.

Yes, he liked to fight, but he liked to just enjoy their company even more.


	173. New Void

**And so, Season 2 begins! Kicking things off with a blast for sure!**

* * *

Henrietta had been about to say something, before she was cut off by the unknown knight raising her hand, Nevermore adjusting her position on the human's head.

"Sheffield is not a term most people casually speak." she stated, her tone stricter than it had been earlier. "I don't care about some Gallian bird knowing it, but why were you not surprised?"

David blinked at the odd seriousness she put to her speech, but he shrugged in response. "I mean, she's not someone I particularly distrust. I've had a few interactions, and knowing that she's officially a part of New Divide now means-"

He was cut off by her sharp tone, raising her voice as her hands planted on the arms of the couch she sat in, raising her up a little in her seat. "To refer to a single person by that name...What kind of being is she?"

"Being? What? She's just a normal person. I mean, she's a void familiar too, but-"

She shouted, a wordless howl that shocked the people in the room as she jumped out of her seat, standing up as her hand instinctively reached for her wand, pointed at the boy as Julio leapt to action, grabbing her shoulders from behind to pull her away from the wheelchair-bound Gandalfr.

"Calm down. You don't have the authority to start threatening people, even if you are personally invested." he said, his tone as calm and collected as it always was, but without his usual humor. He turned to David, who sat frozen in confusion as the Vindalfr smiled. "I'm a void familiar too, but her connection is a bit strange. Vittorio has been personally instructing her on the void, so she knows even more than I do. Forgive her for being angry at the title 'Sheffield'."

"Now that I think about it…" Henrietta said, scratching her chin in thought. "That's a region in Sahara, isn't it? Its capital was Antiak if I recall. What does an elven nation have to do with void?"

The knight sat down, sighing heavily as her metal mask caused the sound to echo a bit, her hands shaking as she forced her heart rate to lower. She spent several seconds doing so, before facing the boy again. "My mother, Shajar, was a resident of Sheffield before moving to Albion with my father. I have no loyalty to that country, but I am still a half-elf, and what happened there thanks to the void still haunts me, even though I was too young to remember it."

The other residents of the room were silent as she told her story, and though her face was covered by the helmet, David could clearly picture what expression she might have. "Gallia's void mage visited there over ten years ago, and was subsequently attacked by Antiak's military. Elves trust humans just as much as Albion trusts elves, so discovering a descendant of Brimir meant that he was almost immediately persecuted."

"He fought back, while they attempted to burn their own city down in order to capture him. But void is a magic elves are not familiar with, and he was a genius, a man who invented a new spell he called Warp. It was a terrifying power, one that enabled him to destroy what remained of the city in order to save himself and his entourage. Antiak was destroyed because of its own hubris, and it ingrained void as an enemy in the eyes of the elves."

"And then you became tied up in it, and so can no longer go there." Agnes stated, but the knight shook her head.

"Until a few months ago, I was a naive child, sheltered her entire life in a little corner of the world, hidden away from everything. I knew what had happened there, but I believed that they would welcome me with open arms. But then I moved to Romalia, and Vittorio taught me the truth. Sahara are enemies of humanity, and I have no love for them despite sharing part of my blood. I learned quickly while in Romalia that the world is not as simple as I had thought, and realized that void was the catalyst. And now, there's another void mage, who was connected to someone bearing the name of that region…"

"Wardes is dead though." David said. "He was allied with Sheffield, but she wasn't connected to this battle. This was all his doing."

The girl shook her head, standing up again, though this time it was not to threaten him. Rather, it was a slow motion, and she crossed her arms without drawing her wand. "It's not Wardes. He possessed the void briefly, but he was swiftly dealt with. Julio, can you hand me the mirror?"

The flamen nodded, reaching down next to the couch to pick up the round mirror, which had been hidden from David's view as the man gave it to the girl, who raised it to show the Gandalfr.

"This is an artifact of Brimir's time, the Founder's Round Mirror. It has the power to look into the past, or into the hearts of those whose image it captures. But it has another ability, centered on the gemstone that used to be set within it." She pointed above the glass, where the turquoise gem had been clearly shattered, cracks forming along the metal frame. "But you broke it, and so, whatever may have been inside it has been released. Vittorio doesn't know exactly what could happen if it's broken, but looking at you, I'm certain."

"What are you-" David asked, before Kent sighed, tapping his fingers on the handle of the wheelchair.

"Wardes may have shaken the world with the revelation that void can be transferred using the Mirror, but he wasn't the last user. It's most likely that Explosion has been transferred to the person who shattered the gem...That is, to you."

David blinked, his mouth opening in shock as he whirled around to face the Chevalier, ignoring the stiffness of his back as he stared at the earth mage. "What...But, I can't even use magic! The only spell I'm capable of is Unlock!"

"Void doesn't follow the same rules that every other element does." Henrietta said, sighing as she waved her hand. "I was really hoping to leave this for after my statement to the students, but the cat's out of the bag now, so I'll just say it directly. David, though before now you had been limited to only your familiar abilities and Unlock, as of today, you wield the same signature magic as Louise. Because you have never shown elemental capability before, that means that we must consider you officially to be a full void mage."

The sheer implications of her statement plunged the room into silence as David stared straight ahead, unable to quite process what she'd stated.

Logically, it made sense considering what limited things he knew about how the Round Mirror worked, but realistically, he simply couldn't believe it.

His hands clenched and released as he mulled over what to say. He had to respond somehow, this wasn't something he could just laugh off. Things had drastically shifted now, there was no way he could get out of this with a joke.

"...Are you not concerned about another void familiar being connected to this? Especially since you've never met her before." Dodging the question, a stupid tactic but one he simply had to employ. He'd need serious time to think about this before he could respond any other way.

Henrietta nodded. "I trust you completely, and after today, I don't think anyone can deny that you have our best interests in mind. If this woman is the familiar of that same void mage from a decade ago, then perhaps she has seen something of him in you. If that's the case, then I have no reason to believe she'd betray you. I may be the one with the most power here, but you're the one pulling the strings. So be a good puppeteer, okay?"

She smiled, an expression that was infectious as he returned it, before she laughed, motioning with her shoulder towards Louise. "And now that you share the same magic, perhaps you two can train together. Get stronger, because you can't avoid the Chevalier title forever, David."

She sighed, leaning back and holding herself up with her hands planted on the bed. "I know that you aren't interested in joining the royal army, but we have already discussed something that Julio wishes to tell you. It's not something you are allowed to reject."

David turned to the older boy, who smiled again as he coughed into his fist before nodding. "Right, right. I'm fully aware that you are a heretic, and one who doesn't believe in the Primogenitor at all, but Vittorio has already foreseen all of this happening, as well as events to come. Therefore, he wanted to use you as insurance, to keep humanity safe. To do so, the restrictions of this world can't apply to you. Therefore, you are granted the position of bishop. You have no influence over anyone within the Church, but like my subordinate here, you are now free to act as you see fit under the Pope's name. Likewise…"

His smile widened as he produced a newspaper from somewhere, handing it to the boy. "You are free from the restrictions surrounding a few of the taboo words of the Church. In other words...You are allowed to invoke the name 'Demon.'"


	174. Demon

**Merry Christmas and happy birthday to Henrietta!**

* * *

"What's this about?" David asked, holding the newspaper in confusion, and Julio simply motioned to it with a relaxed hand as he sat down next to the knight, who scooted as far as she could from the other familiar as he smiled.

"Something written by a friend of yours. He unfortunately had to return home for the summer, but he said to pass a message. 'I have something major to tell you when we next meet.' Good kid, I can see his father in him for sure."

David blinked at the statement, wondering who the Romalian was talking about, before opening the paper to read the front page article, cringing at the drawn image on the front page.

Alfheim didn't have cameras yet, so everything was drawn, but someone had a very steady hand and eye for detail as they'd put as much effort as they could into making a realistic image of the academy just after the battle had ended. They must have been here during the attack, considering that there was even still a shaded rendering of dust rising from the hole in the ballroom.

The article itself was mostly standard journalism, giving a watered down version of the actual events and only briefly mentioning that Wardes wasn't acting alone, a fact that David was surprised made it into print. He hadn't been aware that anyone else knew it was some other person who'd given him his scar.

Speaking of the scar, as he read further, it seemed that someone had definitely been watching the battle from afar, as there were some details that couldn't possibly have been guessed at after the face. Wardes brutally murdering Wales, who in the article was only referred to by his pseudonym of William, David being thrown far away, and the appearance of the clone that disappeared, though there was no mention of Casper's idea of a Water Dome shield around his body.

The others were silent as he read, his eyes narrowing as the article moved on to the immediate aftermath. Apparently, the writer had visited various students who were not around and interviewed them, and some of the answers were...worrying at best.

Ludwig evidently had expected such a thing to happen, just not so soon, while Kelly showed notable concern over what the attack meant for the future. Various other students from other grades whose names he didn't recognize also put in their two cents, but the big statement was near the end.

He'd almost forgotten about Beatrice von Guldenhorf, but it seemed she hadn't forgotten him. Upon being asked the simple question of 'What do you think this means for the country?' had launched her into a rant that was clearly only being truncated for print.

"It's because he's too obvious with his connections to Void. It attracted enemies, and it dragged innocent people into his problems. I didn't trust him from the minute I met him, and I saw through him when we fought during the tournament."

He flinched as he read the last line, finishing off the princess' quote. "He's a monster, I'm telling you now. David the demon."

The remainder of the article was similarly negative commentary, though the journalist himself didn't show much bias one way or another. A good neutral party, only giving the facts and others' opinions on the matter, and when he read the signature at the bottom, it was clear to him.

Of course, he'd forgotten that Frances de Erikson was part of a journalist family. He'd also been one of the three remaining first-years at the academy at the time of the attack, so he must have been sticking far away and recording everything as it passed.

The Gandalfr sighed as he lowered the paper, his gaze pointed down at the ground as he mustered the words to respond. "So, the whole world knows about her calling me 'Demon'. Isn't it illegal to say that or something?"

Henrietta shook her head. "In Tristain, journalists are not bound by any speech laws as long as they don't willfully slander anyone. They're perfectly free to say that word, even when it's a risk for someone of my rank."

Julio nodded at her statement, taking over for her. "Still, while Frances didn't intentionally support the name, by inserting it into the story, he's announced that there is a connection between it and you. He has a strong ability to be completely unbiased in his reporting based on his past history, but that also can come back to bite the people he talks about. Whatever happens now, it will stick in the public consciousness that you are Demon, no matter how you try to stop it. That word is simply too powerful to ignore."

David frowned, his head lowering as his gaze remained firmly down. "I don't get it though. Why did I get labelled with that name if it's so important? Beatrice never cares about anyone, so why did she decide to pin it on me?"

"Who knows? None of us have truly seen you in Berserker state up close before, so for all we know, she really did see something in you that no one else alive has. Void familiars like us are well known historically for showing powers far beyond even what their masters are capable of. It's not a well-researched field, and considering your lack of magic, it's only more terrifying to witness you suddenly overpowering someone you were previously unable to defend against. I can't tell you exactly what Demon actually means, but suffice it to say that the full story is very similar to yours. At least, what Freya has decreed aligns with the things that we've seen recently."

"Anyway, enough with this heavy atmosphere." Henrietta said, sighing as she stood up, Agnes standing at attention as the princess walked up to the boy in front of her, smiling as she knelt to look at him, as his gaze still remained mostly facing downwards. "David, whether you accept the title or not, you're still important to Tristain and to me. Don't let this get you down, there's still much you're capable of doing here. I know you'll come up with something, I trust in you."

The woman smiled at the small twitch in the corner of his mouth, before standing up again, nodding to Kent, whose grip on the wheelchair handles tightened. "Viscount, please take him out where everyone else has gathered. I want him to listen to me when I deliver my speech to the school."

The square-class mage laughed, nodding. "Are you heading out now, your highness?"

"Yes, I am. I want to reassure everyone before we get into the details of what comes next. Agnes, take Louise and go with Julio. I'll explain to David what's going on after I'm done with the speech."

Agnes nodded, though Louise frowned. "So you're going to kick me out without explaining anything to David? You're just going to confuse him later."

Henrietta glanced to the side as she turned towards the door, smiling briefly at her friend. "Louise, I know what I'm doing. I'm not completely incompetent, I've thought through this. This is the best order to move in. David still has some recovery time before he can go right back into the action."

"What are you talking about?" David asked the woman, but he was given no answer as she walked out of the door, followed by the earth mage pushing the Earthborn boy out into the hallway.

He wasn't particularly worried, considering that this was Henrietta, but it was unusual for her to be so vague and secretive. Every other time he'd talked to her, she overshared everything, but right now, the atmosphere around her was completely different.

She'd had the same expression on her face as always, but looking at her from behind now, he could see the change. Her shoulders were slumped, and she walked at a slower pace. From the sound of her footsteps, she wasn't wearing the same clickity heels, instead opting for wide brimmed shoes that thudded with her footsteps.

This Henrietta was not the same as the one a few weeks ago. There was no doubt about it, Wales' death had hit her hard.


	175. Chevalier's Purpose

**And so the new year begins! It won't be too long before this arc ends as well, it's very short!**

* * *

It felt strange to be sitting outside the main student body, to the side of the stage usually reserved for special announcements with Kent and the still-unknown knight standing guard to either side of him. Why Agnes was separated from Henrietta, he wasn't sure, but for now, he couldn't focus on that as he pulled the blanket he'd been given around him, hiding his bandages from view as he still looked down at the ground.

He could feel the stares of the students assembled here drilling into him, and it only served to remind him of the injury on his back, which throbbed annoyingly in the slight breeze of the outside. It would be a while before he could get used to it, but he'd just have to learn to deal. There was no way such a deep wound would heal over completely, no matter how good the alchemy used on him was.

When he finally got up the courage to look around at the student body, it was clear that the wounds weren't just physical either. Whether by Beatrice's quote in the paper or by witnessing the events, many of those present were staring at him, and though he was too far away to easily see their faces, he could guess what kind of expressions they had.

Things had changed. There was no way he'd be able to go back to being a typical student anymore, not after all of this had happened. Now, he just had to depend on Henrietta, and hope that she would defuse the situation, though how he didn't know.

Speaking of the princess, she finally appeared, steadily walking up the stairs to the stage as the crowd shifted their gaze in her direction. No doubt she'd spent years training for public speeches, because the way she walked was professional, stepping at an even pace and giving little motion of her arms other than to counteract the blowing around of her dress in the breeze as she moved to stand in the center of the wood platform, lacing her hands together to hang loosely in front of her as she smiled, eyes closing to enunciate her features.

It was a carefully crafted display of cuteness that even caught his attention, finding himself staring without realizing it as she raised a hand to cough lightly into her fist. Was she always this good at acting? He couldn't remember ever seeing her speak in public before, he'd never realized that she had the ability to do so.

Then again, Henrietta was the picture of royalty, so of course she'd need to have this skill as well. It was silly to think that she wouldn't.

"Everyone." That one word was all it took to capture the attention of the crowd, and she nodded as she found herself the undivided center of attention. "I'd like to preface this by saying that this is not a formal speech. There's simply no precedent for what's happened here, so trying to go by script is pointless. Forgive me if I sound presumptuous, but I think that none of you are interested in some cheap consolations by someone not directly involved here anyway."

She spoke with even less reserve than usual, but somehow, her standing posture and the slightly singsong voice she used still made her words sound important. Maybe she was just being informal, but she was still playing it up for the audience a bit.

"This attack was the final cry of the Reconquista, who with the death of Jean-Jacques Francis have finally gone silent for the foreseeable future. They were targeting Louise de la Valliere, who as I'm sure most of you know by now is the current Tristainian holder of the Void. However, they failed in their mission to capture her, and were subsequently defeated by one of your classmates." She motioned to David, who cringed as he found the eyes turning to him again. "I don't want anyone looking at David differently for this. He simply did what he thought was right and stepped into action, against the wishes of your teachers. It was stupid, but it resulted in a lot of people being saved. Unfortunately, it did result in the death of William de Gaul, another student who got involved despite only recently transferring to the academy."

Henrietta didn't skip a beat when mentioning Wales' pseudonym, but David felt his breath hitch at the reminder. He looked down, the illusion of peace created by her tone broken as his mind returned to the battle.

He felt a metal-covered hand on his shoulder, and he looked up to see the Romalian knight looking down at him, her visor down as usual. She seemed apologetic though, based on the light squeeze she gave his shoulder.

"If you want to talk, then speak. Nobody is watching you right now, you're allowed to give your true thoughts. I know you were holding back on something earlier, so now it's time for you to say it. Whatever it is, I can assure you that I will not judge."

David blinked, before raising his hand to wipe his eyes, surprised to find water pooling as he sighed, lowering his hand to grab his blanket and pull it closer to him, looking away from the knight.

"Henrietta's lost a lot of people she's close to." he said quietly, so that he wouldn't be interrupting the princess' speech. "First Henri, her father, and then Louise was kidnapped, and then Wales was killed the same way Henri was...And both were caused by the same spell that I now have. And yet, she hasn't changed her expression at all. I know she's masking her feelings, but I can't figure out how she's able to do that…"

He shook his head slowly. "Then there's me. I've been present in both of those deaths, and it was because I killed Cromwell that he was able to be brought back as that weird zombie thing. I have no idea what's going on, and even though I'm directly tied to everything, I haven't had any personal attachment to anyone I've seen die."

"That's typical of a soldier. I haven't experienced much by way of combat yet, but even I know that eventually, you stop caring about who you're fighting. It blurs together and everything stops seeming human."

"No, it's not that…" David said, his voice lowered even more as he fought to speak through the tightness in his throat. "I'm not even from this world, I'm an outsider who just is meddling in everyone's business. Henrietta's the one getting hit by all this garbage coming thanks to my interference. So..."

His eyes narrowed as he let out a breath, looking up at the knight, while Kent watched in silence from beside them.

The Gandalfr couldn't hold back his tears now, not that he cared enough to. It was pointless trying to stop them, they'd only keep flowing. "So, why is it that she's able to stand there and talk so lightly, while I'm the one sitting here crying?"

The knight was silent for several seconds, and Kent was about to speak before he was interrupted by the woman, who sighed, removing her hand from the boy's shoulder and crossing her arms, looking forward at Henrietta, who was still talking, the speech evidently having gone to a lighter tone as the crowd was laughing.

"Then you aren't quite the same as a soldier." she finally stated. "You've seen a lot that most civilians don't, and yet you're able to cry for someone else. I know what that's like, I've lost the ability to have my own desires now." She looked back at the boy, nodding. "You and I are similar. We possess empathy."

"Empathy…" A small smile crossed his face, before Kent laughed, grabbing the top of his head with a hand and leaning down to grin inches away from the Gandalfr's face.

"You're more like Agnes than me, that's for sure. A selfish person whose ambitions are selfless in nature. It doesn't work well for a weaker individual, but she grew up to be a strong warrior, and someone I'm proud to call my daughter. You, on the other hand...You still have time to develop. Your role isn't set in stone yet, even after all that's happened. So, I'll tell you what I told that girl, back when she was a little kid getting on her knees to beg me to train her."

David stared wide-eyed at the man as he laughed again, releasing his head and standing up straight, looking down at the boy and tapping his chest with a thumb. "Be selfish. Be very selfish. Do everything you can to grab what's yours and keep it. The world is a terrible place, so you'd better be prepared to step on others to get your way. Because when you're in a fight and you've got nothing but a broken blade and your own wits, they won't hesitate. They won't let you keep the things you care about. So, when your weapon is gone, punch. When your arms are torn off, kick. When your legs have been cut to ribbons, bite. When your teeth are shattered, scream. Do whatever it takes to drag down those who hurt you and destroy them. I know you aren't interested in the position, but that is what it truly means to be a Chevalier."


	176. The Fourth Familiar

**So, this is just a throwaway idea as of now, but what do people think about me creating a Discord for this story? I do have arguments both for and against the idea if anyone is curious!**

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Most of Henrietta's speech wasn't important, just assuring the student body that everything was under control now. With Wardes dead, it certainly helped soothe their minds that the enemy was gone, considering that publicly, Reconquista was dismantled now, news which had reached Tristain and spread quickly. With that knowledge, it put everyone in a lighter mood, and even David couldn't help but smile despite the tear streaks down his face, drying up now that he'd had long enough to regain control of his emotions.

Now, he was on the grass, waiting while the two guarding him spoke with Henrietta, who had gone to discuss something with the Chevalier. Kent's young appearance made it seem pretty normal, but it was odd to think that the man was at least old enough to be Agnes' father, and even if it wasn't biological, he had to have already been a high-ranked noble at that stage. How old was he, exactly?

The armored knight stayed near the wheelchair-bound boy, but was keeping her distance now, arms crossed as she watched the crowd nearby, making sure nobody was going to come up to harass the boy.

She tapped in irritation as Tabitha showed up with Sylphid in tow, a rarer sight nowadays since the dragon was often away from the academy recently, though David wasn't sure why. "What business do you have with David, Tabitha de Orleans?" the knight asked, and Tabith responded by tapping her staff on the ground a few times, staring at the Romalian with her typical deadpan expression.

"I'm his friend. Please let me speak." Still using the same short sentences she used to before he went with her to Gallia, but now, the structure was a little different, and David smiled as he waved to her, looking over to his guardian.

"It's fine, Tabitha's trustworthy." he said, and reluctantly, the knight backed off, letting the girl and her familiar get closer as he smiled to her. "I haven't really seen you much recently, how have you been?"

The Gallian smiled, though it was a small expression that she was still not used to making. "Jos-...Casper told me about your efforts." The girl hadn't quite gotten used to referring to her twin by her new name, but the correction was made smoothly, without bringing attention to it, though David still noted it.

"I haven't heard from her since I woke up, how is she?" he asked. "Since you're related after all."

The blue-haired girl closed her eyes to shake her head, before looking at him again. "We are not close. She only wishes to see you now."

The knight crossed her arms and sighed at the statement. "Casper is an odd one, she insisted on being the one to guard Derflinger and won't let anyone close to the office where it's being stored."

"Why does Derf need to be guarded? It normally just sits in the dorm room." David said, and the knight chuckled.

"You don't realize the importance of that sword you wield, don't you?" she asked. "Derflinger is incredibly special, possibly one of a kind. Intelligent swords are relatively common and easy to make, but that one is a Living Weapon. Plus, it was used to defeat the former Viscount de Wardes, whose strength was well known. There is a possibility someone may try to take it, and we can't deny that the conflict is not over yet. Normally I wouldn't say such a thing in front of someone not involved, but Tabitha de Orleans has already been briefed on this."

"Casper would tell me everything regardless." Tabitha said, by way of explaining the situation, and David nodded in understanding. Casper was smart, she probably had figured out that Tabitha could find out anything she wanted to know if she really tried.

"Does that mean-" he was about to say, before the knight interrupted him, cutting off the sentence as she knew what he was about to say.

"She does not know everything, only the facts related to this incident specifically. There is no need to explain the motives behind it to an outsider."

He turned to her, before Tabitha sighed, tapping her staff on the ground again before changing the subject. "Casper will return to you when she can. For now, go speak with your sword."

He blinked, before nodding, shifting where he sat as the knight stepped forward to grab the handles of his wheelchair. "That's right, it's best that you take it back as soon as possible. I don't expect you'll need it in the next step, but there is nothing wrong with being prepared. Plus, it's annoying hearing it screaming in some language we can't understand."

"Isn't the universal translation spell a normal thing?" David asked, and the knight involuntarily snorted, bringing her hand up to smack the side of her helmet a few times before regaining her composure as Tabitha turned to leave, Sylphid briefly looking at her friend before he was turned around to head to the central tower.

As they walked, the knight talked, answering his question as she clearly was trying to hold back laughter, her composure slightly broken by the strain of doing so. Was her formal tone this whole time just a cover for her real personality? She was a very good actor if that was the case, he'd been convinced.

"The spell cast on you and the Universal Translation Spell are two different things. The spell cast on you is a void-imbued Silencing Spell, which as far as I know is unnamed but results in the ability to comprehend any spoken language. It's convenient, but even amongst void mages is very rare historically."

"And, how is that different from universal translation?"

"Universal Translation is a high-level elementless spell, one of the endpoints of the Pulse spell. It's an incredibly specific path to go down, so the number of people who have bothered to learn it can be counted on one hand, but the reward is even more than the spell placed on you. The complete ability to understand and speak any and all language, no matter the source, no matter the species. That includes things like body language and recognizing truth from lies."

"So, it's a high effort, high reward spell?" he asked, and she nodded.

"But it takes decades to master the spell tree to that extent, and it's worthless for combat, so a mage able to use it would need to surround himself in guards who can use standard magic in order to defend himself, because it's such a highly sought after ability. For someone like me, who only recently became involved in politics, there isn't a chance of even learning the names of those people, much less meeting them. Not that I have any interest, I am invested in void research."

"Void? Are you a void familiar too?" The thought hadn't even crossed his mind, but now that he thought about it, this knight did seem ingrained in the void, considering her reaction to the mention of Sheffield and the incident with Joseph there.

The woman sighed, whistling through the helmet at the question. "Yes, I am. Like you, I possess the runes denoting void familiars. My runes are that of Lífþrasir, the Heart of God."

He blinked in surprise, looking back at her with wide eyes. "Wait, so you were summoned by-"

"Tiffania Westwood, yes. I've been her familiar for around four months now, and His Holiness has been an excellent teacher of the void."


	177. Casper Returns

**I don't really have an excuse for taking so long for this chapter, but here it is! And in the news on the discord question I posed last chapter, it seems people do like the idea, so I've decided that I'll be doing it! I'll start work on it, and update you as chapters come out. I tend to do a lot whenever I actually get started on something, so it should be terribly long before it's ready to be released!**

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After the revelation that this Romalian knight was a fellow familiar, she went silent, allowing him to ponder the new information while he was transported into the central tower. The knight stopped at the bottom of the stairway, looking between his wheelchair and the steps.. Had she only just now realized that was going to be a problem without Kent's earth magic?

He chuckled at her distress, grunting as he planted his hands on the armrests to push himself up. "It's fine, I think I can at least make it upstairs. I'm just exhausted, I don't think I'll have issues walking."

"But, Julio put you in my care...I can't let New Divide force himself after he's already-" She cut herself off, evidently realizing that her voice had softened inadvertently, a little higher in tone than normal, before she put her fist to her helmet's visor and coughed a few times to return to her usual neutral tone, standing straight. "F-Forget that. If you are capable, then I won't stop you. But it's my duty to protect you, so don't push yourself too far. You've already done enough that I wouldn't mind carrying you."

He laughed, waving his free hand as he used the other to grasp the handrail, forcing himself onto his feet. He was shaky, but other than the irritating numbness in his back, it wasn't too difficult to keep upright. He grinned, giving a thumbs-up to the knight.

Now that he was standing, he was surprised to note that he was actually taller than her, even slightly hunched over. It made sense, but she had towered over him when he was in the wheelchair so he simply wasn't expecting it.

"See, I'm fine. Besides, as soon as I touch Derf, Gandalfr will help me with handling any leftover pain. I'd have collapsed long ago if it didn't."

The knight hesitated for a moment, before sighing and starting upwards, though her pace was slow to match his own. Eventually, he found his bearings again, walking up at a relatively normal speed, albeit he still kept his hand on the rail just to make sure he wouldn't fall if he got too wobbly.

"May I say something as a fellow familiar?" she asked, and he looked over to her, tilting his head before nodding. She nodded back, and when she spoke again, her voice was low, betraying that true voice she seemed to want to hide for some reason. "Please, don't trust Gandalfr too much. It may have saved your life this time, but it came at the cost of stripping you of your ability to even breathe for almost an hour after the battle actually ended. Maybe it was exasperated by your wound, but it isn't an ability you can trust."

He blinked, before looking forward again, focusing on his footsteps while he pondered her suggestion. "I don't know what experiences you've had, but I've managed to break free of the familiar bond. It doesn't affect me anymore when I go against Louise, and I've started to recall my original plan again. I've been escaping the runes' control for a while now, so I think that this 'Berserker' that I have-"

"It isn't." she stated, interrupting him with new venom in her voice. "That power you have...It isn't a sign of breaking the bond. You are weakened just as much as you are empowered by it. I can't act like I know your history or exactly what you've done with it, but I do understand what it's like to possess those runes. I don't feel the bond the same way you do, but I am aware how powerful it is. Be careful, you haven't escaped it like you think."

For some reason, her insistence annoyed him, and though he didn't snap at her, he was aware his voice was sharper than usual. "I'll figure it out if it becomes necessary. They haven't failed me yet, so I'll trust them until I have a reason not to."

The unintentional outburst left the knight stunned, and she remained silent, leaving the remainder of the walk upwards to be spent in silence.

Why had he reacted like that, anyway? He had no reason to be mad at her, she was just doing her duty after all. He'd have to apologize when he got the chance, but for now, he had to focus on retrieving Derf.

They turned to exit the stairway on the floor they needed to be on, and within a few steps, he blinked as the air seemed to shimmer, before a barrier of water formed across the hallway, separating him from the knight, who sighed and crossed her arms, shaking her head in exasperation.

"Don't be alarmed, it's just Casper noticing that we've arrived. She's not going to let me farther, so you'll have to go on your own."

"Why would she not let you through? Aren't you also tied to the void?" he asked, and she laughed.

"That isn't what this is about. She wants you and you alone to retrieve that sword, she made that very clear when she took it here. She's an odd one, that's for sure. She completely ignores the authority of the Pope and Princess Henrietta's decree. If her original body was found, she'd be arrested immediately for her insubordination."

"...She isn't that bad, is she? She's just overprotective. You aren't going after her, are you?" he asked, and the girl shook her head.

"You misunderstand. I don't hate her, and I'm not going to tattle if I see her. I understand her motives. She isn't bound by laws, but by her own ideals instead, and she's chosen to latch onto you. As long as you're safe, she won't be a problem for us."

"That seems...uncharacteristic of her." he said, and was about to continue before she waved him off.

"Just go. The Water Dome will move behind you, so just watch until it starts changing direction and you'll know which room it's in. I'll stay here and wait for you to return."

With that, she turned to lean on the wall, watching him as he stood still, before making his decision and nodding to her before turning to continue on alone.

True to what she'd said, the water began to shrink back as he walked, further separating the two as a second wall formed to block the Lífþrasir from continuing, though she had no intention of doing so.

Now that he was alone again, he could think to himself about the situation at hand. Until the battle, Casper was never much for showing herself, but now, she was even going so far as to create this strange defensive mechanism from wherever she was within the building. What had changed, exactly? And for that matter, why had she suddenly returned at such a convenient time in the first place?

There was a lot to ask, and as he turned to face the door into the room his sword was resting in, he stopped to take a deep breath, hand hovering over the door. Standing still meant he could remember the aching in his body, but it gave him time to prepare himself for whatever may be on the other side as the water wall behind him popped, evaporating into the air now that he was at his destination.

Now that he was focused, he became aware of Derf's familiar clanky metal voice shouting something, in a language that even with the spell that translated speech couldn't quite identify, resulting in a strange mix of words he heard in English and those that remained foreign.

The sword didn't appear to be speaking to anyone specifically, so David decided to open the door, peeking inside before blinking in surprise at the sight.

The room was small, barely big enough to be a storage closet, and a single candle illuminated the sword, which had fallen sideways from where it was presumably resting on the wall, vibrating on the ground at the motion of the crossguard while it shouted.

"Uh, Derf?" he asked, looking around. Casper wasn't around? Then again, she didn't want him to see her before, so that part must not have changed. "What are you doing?"

"Partner!" the sword called, its voice seamlessly switching back to an easier to recognize dialect. "Gunther! It's been a long time! Where are you taking me now, hm? Al Hambra? Antiak? You better not go back to Kiev, you're still banned from there, you know!"

Understandably, the ranting confused the boy, who knelt down to take the sword's handle, before stopping, crouched down with his hand outstretched, as he heard Casper's voice in his head.

" _Don't touch it yet. Let it get used to your presence before you activate Gandalfr again."_ she stated, and he blinked, sitting down on the ground and lowering his hand to rest on his knee.

"What's wrong with it? It's calling me Gunther, isn't that a former Gandalfr?" he asked, and the girl hummed into his head.

" _Whatever you did during that battle resonated with it and caused it to start acting like this. Even I don't understand what happened, one moment you were practically dead, and the next you were up and fighting again. I've never seen someone rise up like that, not in the middle of combat."_

"It was my Berserker Mode. I thought you knew about it, isn't that why you told me to let the runes take control?" he asked, and several seconds of silence followed. "Casper?"

" _I don't know what you're talking about. I had no idea that Gandalfr had the ability to act in that way. Whatever happened, it was not me guiding you. In fact, I was unable to even speak with you. I apologize for being silent for so long, there was some sort of barrier preventing any of my wind clones here from interacting with the outside world for weeks prior to the attack. I couldn't even use magic until that ambush occurred."_

He jolted at the statement, his eyes going wide. "So, are you saying that…"

" _Whoever the traitor is, they are not someone to take lightly. I may not be as strong as my sister, but I am still a Triangle-class mage. As far as I can tell from my investigations, none of the students have the power necessary to do something like completely shutting me off in that way, and none of the staff who are capable would be able to without being noticed. I've had no luck figuring out who it is, but I have narrowed it down to it not being a first-year and them acting alone. It was only one mage, there is no group within the academy walls."i_

"They're female too." he stated, watching the sword as it moved around on the ground, having gone back to its old dialect. "I heard their voice when they performed that attack, and they sounded like a girl, and not an adult either. The name of that spell was _Wind Shear_ , and for some reason, it just sounded like they said it in italics, if you know what I mean by that. I don't know if that means anything special."

The phantom was silent again, before responding. "Wind Shear _. I don't recognize it, but it may simply be their name for an existing spell. I'll look into it, that narrows things down a lot to only students with wind magic. I'll send out more clones later to do that."_

"I've been meaning to ask, but isn't having all those clones exhausting? Doesn't it all draw from your original body's magic reserve?"

Another long pause, and he was about to ask again before she confirmed her presence. " _That...isn't a subject I like to go into. Please, don't worry about my original body. She is not being taxed by my clone network, we have our own methods to remain autonomous. In fact, pretend they do not exist at all. The only ones who matter to you are those protecting New Divide. Please don't feel suspicious of me, all of us truly do exist solely to protect you now. It's simply-_ "

"I know. You have your own problems that you don't want me to be involved with. You forget that it's sort of my fault for letting you lose that bet. I was the one who served the steak back when I was at the Enchanted Fairy Inn after all."

" _...Yes, right. That was not your fault, it was mine for thinking I could possibly beat Isabella's judgement. It was a foolish bet to make on something so simple. I hope that I've grown smarter since that happened."_

He laughed, before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Anyway, how long am I going to have to sit here and wait? Derf's not in the best shape right now."

" _Right, don't worry. It won't take very long, only a few minutes at most. When you unleashed your 'Berserker Mode', it made him like this, so I believe that being in the presence of the normal David will help it reset to normal."_


	178. Revision

**I've begun work on the server! It's not complete enough to link yet, but it's going well!**

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While waiting for the sword to stop its unusual ranting, David mused to himself over the situation. The identity of the spy had been minimally interesting prior to the battle, as he'd just assumed they were someone who aligned themselves to Reconquista's ideals, but Wardes had not been acting under the former rebellion's will this time. He was following a completely different directive, one that had nothing to do with Albion. That meant that this traitor was also not a part of Reconquista. A hidden soldier under Joseph's control, maybe? He knew that the Brainless King was the one pulling the strings, but he couldn't think of anyone who would be able to hide in the academy for this long, and he knew Tabitha was innocent.

He really didn't know enough about this world and its inhabitants, even after being here for so long now. His limited knowledge forced him to simply accept dependence on Casper's intelligence network, and perhaps that was for the better. There were many other issues to worry about right now after all, like the breakout of Tristania's prison and what Joseph's next move may be now that Reconquista was no more.

"Partner." Derf stated, its calm voice reminding him that it was there, and he smiled as he looked at it. It had finally stopped its chattering, and now lay on the ground, relatively silent.

"Back to Alfheim?" he asked, and the sword laughed, clanking a few times in response.

"Yeah, seems I got caught up in the past. I have to say, I've never seen Berserker from someone else's hands before. It's quite terrifying, even though it would do nothing to me!"

"You kept mentioning Gunther, was he also a Berserker?" David asked, reaching forward and, as Casper didn't call out to stop him this time, took the sword's handle to lift it back to rest on the wall, in its sheath as usual. "Or did me collapsing like that just remind you of one of your forgotten memories?"

"Forgotten memories? What-Oh, right, that. Yes...A memory that returned to me. Gunther Bloodborne was a favorite of mine, and he's the last person to use Berserker Mode as well as the previous Gandalfr to you. There hasn't been one in such a long time, and suddenly my new partner is doing all these amazing things in such a small timespan! Amazing, it makes me feel like I've been wielded by Sasha again!"

David chuckled at the sword, who now had returned to its usual unfiltered self. "That's high praise considering how you used to comment so much on her back when we met the Water Spirit. She created you, didn't she?"

"From her soul and that svartalfr's magic, yes! I never really liked Brimir myself, but she did, so I had to accept it! Then they died and I got passed on to the next Gandalfr, and so on and so forth. Since then, nobody's really bonded as well with me as you and Gunther did. It's sad, there have been few throughout history who really were deserving of my memory. Most have slipped my mind after so long."

The boy laughed, standing up and lifting his weapon to return the sheath to its place against his back. "Well, you've lived a long time, and memory can be…" He blinked, a realization coming to him.

"Partner?" the sword asked, and David shook his head.

"Nothing, I just remembered something…" he said, blinking a couple times as he crossed his arms, staring intently at the blank wall in front of him. "Louise doesn't seem to recognize Wardes. Maybe things are different in this world, but in the original story, he was her fiance. Maybe I'm just reading too much into it, though."

" _You aren't."_ Casper stated. " _But when I erased her memory of the incident at Londinium, I took the liberty of also purging her mind of any memory of Wardes and replaced them with her sister, Cattleya. I simply didn't tell you because it was unimportant."_

David's mouth opened in surprise, and it seemed that she'd made herself audible to Derf as well, as the sword laughed. "That's quite high-level magic there! I had thought you were entirely focused on Clone and Dome spells, but you've also delved into the world of Illusion, have you?"

" _Having so many clones means that I can practice many forms of magic independently of each other. Memory magic isn't my strong suit, but yes, I have attained some level of control."_

"Wait, so you just straight up stole Louise's memories?" David asked. "Is that really the best way to handle this? That just sounds-"

" _I'm interested to hear if you have any other solution. I understand that it may not sound like a good thing to mess with people's minds, but sometimes it becomes necessary. I can tell that you aren't panicked over the knowledge, so I assume you have some degree of understanding what that means."_

He was silent for several seconds, before turning to open the door and leave the small room. "You're right, I'm not that worried. I've experienced mind magic before, during the tournament, and it really does make things easier to just push the problem away. Will her memories return to normal in time? Memory is physically much more complex than you're making it seem, after all."

" _Possibly, but not for several months at least, and by then Wardes will have been cemented in her mind as an enemy to the extent that she may simply repress them anyway. There is little concern that she'll react negatively to it."_

"And have you modified my memory at all?" he asked, noting the fact that there was absolutely no hesitation to her response.

" _Of course not. I am your guardian, you are my master. I act only to protect you, and your memory must be as close to your true thoughts as possible for that to work out. If you'd like, though, I can-"_

"Don't use that spell anymore." he stated, cutting her off as he headed down the hallway towards where he knew the knight was still waiting. "I don't mind you using it to protect Louise's sanity, but it is still a potentially destructive skill, and I'm not going to cheat history by forcing myself into any certain position. You should know by now that I'm not trying to perform shortcuts. I want to do things properly." His hand moved to the injury on his back as he frowned. "I put my trust in Henrietta and Wales to handle the situation, and it resulted in Wales' death. This scar shows my failure as a result of letting someone else do things for me. To Gandalfr, promises are incredibly important, and I've broken one."

"As long as you have that scar, you won't break another." Derf stated, and he nodded. "Very wise. You've certainly matured after that battle. Just be careful, you can't do everything alone."

"I know, I won't. I'm just not going to be on the sidelines anymore. I have Sheffield on my side now, so I'll have to set up a system with her, and reinforce my relationship with Henrietta. New Divide is being forced to evolve now."

"You talk pretty loud when you think no one is listening, don't you?" came the voice of the unknown knight, and he jolted as he looked up, blinking as he realized he'd already walked the distance back to where she stood.

He laughed sheepishly, raising his hand to the back of his head. "Sorry about that. It's just that, I've sort of realized now that I'm not untouchable anymore."

The knight watched him silently, before uncrossing her arms to begin walking back towards the stairwell. "Just be aware of how others see you now. To us in the know, you are New Divide, but to the students and staff who know nothing about your true intentions, you are only Demon."

She waved her hand to stop him from responding. "In any case, that will need to wait. For now, there are other matters to deal with. Louise has already been briefed on this, but I don't have the authority to explain the situation. The princess will do that once you get dressed."

He blinked. "Dressed?" he asked, and she chuckled, motioning to him.

"You've been wandering around shirtless and covered in bandages for the last few hours. Now that you've reunited with your sword and shield, you need to get cleaned up before anything else begins."


	179. Suspect

**I've finally constructed the server enough that I consider it worthy of being linked! If you're interested, the invite code is BEMC3uS!**

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David yawned as he laid across the couch he always used as his bed, his sword once again resting in its place at the wall near where he could quickly grab it. He'd bathed and gotten dressed again, wearing his old Earth clothes since his school uniform and mantle now had a large hole in the back. Being early June, it was too warm to wear his sweater, but it felt odd being back in his T-shirt and jeans after so long without them.

With Louise gone and the unnamed knight standing guard outside the door, he was alone inside the room, looking around as he waited for Henrietta to show up again.

The silence was deafening, and he stared at the ceiling, raising his hand to block one of the candle lights from his view. Somehow, being here in this room, without anyone present, felt more suffocating to him than the atmosphere of the battlefield.

What had changed? Back when he first came here, he'd wanted nothing more than to return to his peaceful, albeit boring, life on Earth, and had only gotten into small fights in order to help him accomplish that goal. He knew the familiar bond hadn't affected him as much as it did Saito, but he still realized that he'd begun to think less and less about his family and friends back in the USA, and now, sitting here in exactly the same peace that he once wished for, he found his hands shaking, a nervous tension rising within him as he instinctively found his eyes darting around uncontrollably.

He didn't like this quiet anymore. It wasn't like he expected an enemy attack or anything, he knew and felt safe here, but he just couldn't sit still like this. Despite his exhaustion from the events happening recently, he stood up, pacing around the room as he tried to piece together what had happened.

Maybe this was why Gandalfr had given up on attempting to control him. He was already falling into its trap, already accepting his position as a warrior and constantly thinking about events in the future. He couldn't think in the present anymore, couldn't do things just because he felt like it. Every action had consequences now, and he had to decide on whether they were worth the risk or not.

The familiar bond didn't need to control him when he was already doing a good enough job of giving in to it himself.

He turned his attention to the desk sitting near his couch, where his knife sat, having apparently been cleaned up and given a new sheath after the fight. After returning it to its place on his belt loop, he moved over to his sword, picking it up and holding it horizontally in front of him. Setting one hand on its handle, he pulled it out a few inches, looking it over.

Whether by virtue of its unique structure or Marianne's skill with earth magic, it was as pristine as a newly created weapon despite having sat rusting away for centuries. Even after the number of fights it had been in in the last couple months, it still felt exactly the same as ever.

"Stop staring so intently, you're making me blush." the sword said, laughing. "If I had cheeks, that is! What's with the grim expression, Partner?"

David smiled at the sword, before sheathing it again and holding it up vertically. "I'm just wondering...Has any other Gandalfr gone back home eventually? I mean, if they were summoned from a different place…"

The sword was silent for several seconds, before sighing. "Concerned about your bond?" it asked. "This isn't something with very much precedent. I've heard rumors of the Summoning Ritual in Romalia bringing forth people from other worlds, but it never happened to a Gandalfr before now. Every other partner I've had was born and raised here in Halkeginia."

"Not even outside the continent?" David asked. "Alfheim's bigger than just Halkeginia, isn't it?"

"Aye, but the void hasn't had a chance to spread any farther. It's dependent on inheritance after all, There aren't even many examples of a void mage dying without heirs, so the transfer process is almost exclusively by blood."

"So in other words, I'm the first familiar to come from Earth."

"Every world is Earth, Partner. You're from Midgard." Derf corrected, and he laughed, setting it back in its spot on the wall as the door opened behind him.

As he turned around, he found Henrietta walking inside, smiling as the unnamed knight stood aside for her to pass through unhindered. "Do you often talk to your sword?" she asked, motioning to the weapon.

"He's not much for small talk, unfortunately." Derf said, and she chuckled as she walked over to kneel in front of it, while David stood aside as she looked at him.

"Do you mind if I unsheathe it? I've never seen a Living Weapon before, and I didn't have a chance to ask when we were all crammed in here after you woke up."

David hesitated, briefly confused by the question, before nodding in response. He flinched momentarily as he recalled that the last person other than him to hold the blade was Wales, but said nothing. No reason to bring that up now.

With permission granted, she took the sword's handle, standing up and pulling it from its sheath, holding it in two hands to keep it steady as she was clearly not trained in swordfighting. She spent a few seconds just looking over the blade, before smiling.

"I don't think I could wield this like you can." she mused, and while Wales had taken a test swing, she did not, focusing only on keeping it steady.

"You're more built for a slicing blade than a hacking one." Derf answered, evaluating her just as he had Wales. "Perhaps a scimitar."

She laughed at the assessment, shaking her head. "Maybe that's true, but I prefer magic. If you have it, then use it, right?"

"Well, just be careful. I've had partners who made the mistake of trusting their magic over Gandalfr." The sword clanked a few times. "Well, I'm going to sleep. I've tired myself out with all that yelling the last several days."

With that, it closed up, going silent as the woman turned to her fellow New Divide cofounder. "Well, with that out of the way...It's about time to talk to you about the next step. Do you mind if I sit on Louise's bed?"

"Go ahead, she isn't here anyway." He blinked. "Come to think of it, where is she?"

As the woman sat down, she sighed, setting her hands in her lap. "That's part of what I'm here to talk about. We decided that, for the time being, you and she should be separate until we've confirmed whether you can be considered a void mage or not, since you've yet to use Explosion, and you may also possess Wind Cutter as well. So, she's on a different mission for the first part of summer break, while you're going to be visiting the town of Tarbes."

"Siesta's hometown? What for?" he asked, moving to sit on his couch. "Why not to Tristania, or the Valliere estate? Aren't those safer places?"

The princess shook her head at the questions. "You've fought a battle that should have been dealt with by stronger mages. If you hadn't gotten involved, then Guiteau would have dealt with everything much more quickly. Even with Explosion, Jean-Jacques wouldn't hold a candle to his power." She sighed in frustration, scratching the side of her head to enunciate her annoyance. "You putting yourself in harm's way has put a target on you, and not just with you getting pinned with the D-word. It's started rumors that you're involved with us as the royal family and had been aware of the attack beforehand."

The boy's eyes widened, and he gripped the arm of his seat to keep himself from jumping up. "But there's no way I possibly could have! And even if I did, I wouldn't have ended up-"

"I know, calm down." she stated, quieting him with a sharp tone in her voice, before she returned to normal. "I already know who you really are and your real intentions. I myself played with the idea that you were aware that this would happen, until testimonies from other people who talked to you and Wales before the attack told me that you were truly clueless. But, the general public don't know that. To them, you're a spy for the royal family, and for now, that's actually a safer alternative to telling them about New Divide, who they assume to simply be an unrelated rumor. Count Thrak has not delivered any message relating to this situation, and sas he hasn't mentioned New Divide since first announcing it, the students will have forgotten it. So, we have to go along with the assumption that you are working under me, rather than the other way around."

"That still doesn't tell me what that has to do with Siesta." he stated, and she hummed, crossing her arms and closing her eyes as she pondered the best way to respond.

"I'm emotionally and physically exhausted by dealing with this mess almost nonstop the last few days." she stated. "I'm not going to bother trying to be tactful, I don't think you want me to be anyway. So, I'll just say it straight out."

She inhaled deeply, before opening her eyes to make eye contact with him. "We suspect Siesta Sasaki of being the traitor."


	180. A New Partner

"We suspect Siesta Sasaki of being the traitor." Henrietta stated, and David went silent, staring in shock at the statement.

He had no idea how to respond to that. How could he? Siesta was one of the few people he'd completely written off, the thought had never even crossed his mind that she could be involved.

Henrietta sighed again, shaking her head as she lowered her gaze. "I know that you're close to her, and it probably sounds to you like we're randomly guessing, but...There is actually quite a bit of evidence against her."

Instinctively, David sat down on his couch, crossing his arms over the arm facing the bed and resting his head as he looked at her, still not sure how to process the sudden accusation. "And what are the charges? She's always been a bit weird, but that's just how she is. I've never seen anything that would incriminate her. She's just a staff member, she isn't even a mage."

The princess nodded, before holding her hand up to count out on her fingers. "Well, for one, speaking with the other staff members, nobody really knows much about her. They know her family and Head Chef Marteau seems to be aware that she has a Midgardian ancestor, but even he doesn't actually know anything about her save for what she's said."

"So? There's a lot of people like that. There's no point in talking about yourself at length if it isn't important." That seemed like such a weak reason, there were many people he didn't know anything about. Then again, just because he didn't doesn't mean that anyone else don't.

"You're right, but with her it's particularly strange. I don't really know much myself, but there are rumors about her having noble blood. At least, she has displayed very minor magic capabilities, just hasn't been seen casting any spells. Anyway, a second concern is her speech pattern. She's been observed to switch languages on a dime, sometimes from completely different grammar systems, and according to Julio, she can actually understand Runic without any issue."

"Runic? Aren't runes a common system, even if they aren't used for writing a lot?"

"Runes and Runic aren't the same thing. The only people who can actually speak using Runic are the Romalian nobility. It's a lost language for everyone else. For her, who has never been to Romalia, to know it…"

David blinked at the statement, confused by the implications. "I wasn't aware of that...I usually just speak her native language, I've never noticed anything different in her accent."

"Well, of course she wouldn't speak it randomly, even though you would understand. Though, I don't know how well you would understand Runic, it predates the Founder's era...At least, that's what the Church say. In any case, it's a very recognizable language for those of us who can't understand all spoken words, so it's not something that can be misunderstood. But, the third reason is one that simply can't be ignored, even if we assume that the first two are just coincidences that are tied to other factors."

"What is it, then? I'm not going to go suspecting her if there isn't a reason that really can't be explained otherwise."

Henrietta laughed at his statement, replying quickly and easily. "That's good, you wouldn't be a very good leader if you obeyed without asking why. But the third reason is about her role in the battle itself...It seems by her own admission that she was the one who noticed Oliver Cromwell's resurrected body before you, which should be impossible as you were under Gandalfr's influence at the time. Likewise, she was able to guide you to where Louise had been, despite not being aware where she was."

"..." David wanted to respond, but when he thought about it, Siesta really had been acting a little strange at the time. She hadn't let him out of her sight for the journey around the maze below the surface, but as soon as Cromwell appeared, she'd disappeared with Louise, and he did remember her very clearly telling him that he couldn't actually defeat Cromwell.

At the time, he'd thought she was simply being cautious, and the fact that he easily disabled the Crombie had pushed the thought out of his mind, but in hindsight…

Crombie's purpose had not been to defeat him. It had only been for delaying. Knowing that, Siesta's words back then had a new meaning entirely.

It wasn't that he couldn't beat him. It was that fighting him would slow him down and allow for the next phase to begin. And Siesta had known that.

"But, if she knew, then why would she tell me?" he asked. "Wouldn't she keep it a secret? Nobody would fault her for not being aware."

Henrietta sighed, crossing her arms at the statement. "That's right, and I was hoping that was true, but then came the evidence that really sealed it in stone." She inhaled before continuing. "Mr. Colbert mentioned seeing her entering the Wind Tower after it had been evacuated, around the time that that ambush attack happened from the same place. Nobody else was in the tower at the time, and he was near the only entrance that was not blocked off. As unfortunate as it is, so far, that's the only lead we have. Siesta is the only person known to have been present when you were shot."

The Gandalfr's eyes widened in surprise, and he sat up straight, holding his chin in his index finger and thumb as he thought it over. "...I see. I really don't have a response to that, so...I don't like it, but I'll have to agree to investigation."

He blinked as Derf popped out of its sheath, chuckling as it often did. "You've changed your mind quickly, Partner. Are you not her friend?"

David sighed, scratching the side of his head. "Of course I am, but if there's evidence aganst her, then I really can't do anything about it. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, of course, but if I find something that I can't deny, then I'll be forced to change my opinion. It's for everyone's safety that way, including mine."

"...You've matured quite a lot since coming to this world." the sword said. "Back then, you would have probably immediately assumed guilt and shut yourself off from her entirely. It's surprising, seeing you giving a chance."

David blinked at the wording, confused by its meaning. "What do you mean? Wouldn't it be the opposite, that I used to be too trusting and would believe someone I trust even with evidence against it?"

"No, Derflinger is right." Henrietta said, and he looked to her. "When New Divide first founded, you were suspicious of everything. I could tell that you were just waiting for something to go wrong, while at the same time you thought you knew everything that would happen. You've opened up now, you're doing a lot better at truly getting along with people. I haven't been able to see it myself, but I heard from Wales how you interacted with your schoolmates while he was around."

She shook her head, laughing as she changed the topic. "Anyway, enough about that. If you're willing to cooperate, then I can tell you about exactly how the mission will play out."

"Is it not just me going with her and looking around for proof?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"Remember, we're operating under the assumption that Siesta is the same person who shot you. Because of that, we can't risk you going alone and potentially being killed before you can react. I was thinking of sending Agnes or another high-ranking mage, but if I did so, then it would be like we're invading Tarbes, which is a peaceful village with very few magic-wielders, noble or not. Likewise, magic is too flashy and would take too long to cast, so if she tried to use a weapon against you and you weren't prepared, then she could very well catch you off guard, so we needed someone with a skill that allows for much quicker response time."

David pondered over the people he knew who could fit those criteria, crossing his arms in thought. "Cheri?" he asked. "She's the only person I can think of who could handle that, but isn't she busy with Chevalier duties now?"

Henrietta shook her head at the question, a firm response that took little time to give. "You're right, she's busy settling into her new position. Actually, the decision to go on this mission was suggested by a student who was concerned over the trouble going on recently. It seems she's also worried about Reconquista possibly returning or a new faction arising since the war in Albion still hasn't settled down."

"Who is it? Someone I know?" he asked, and she shrugged.

"I don't know every student's relationship with you, David. I'm the princess, not a faculty advisor." She laughed at the bewildered expression on his face, waving her hand in the air. "I've been here a lot recently, that's true, but normally I'd be in Tristania, handling smaller matters. This was just a crisis. Anyway, your partner for the mission is not a very powerful mage, but she's an expert in alchemy. Potions take time to make, but they can be stored in large quantities and thrown quickly, and we've known about her illegal hormonal potions as well for a while but just let it slide because they could be useful. And wouldn't you know, they'd be perfect for this."

The boy blinked, eyes going wide as it clicked who she was talking about. "Wait, you're telling me that Montmorency is actually getting involved?" he asked, and she laughed.

"Why are you so surprised? She is a clever girl, and she's been to that area in the past so she knows the area. She'll be a valuable asset to you, and she seemed genuinely interested in helping out. It's unfortunate that we couldn't allow Guiche de Gramont to come with you though. His presence is too obvious."


	181. The Swordsman's Vow

**Song Used: Undone by FFH**

* * *

Siesta hummed to herself, smiling as she walked down the main path towards the academy gate, followed by David and the blonde duo. It was an odd party, but that wasn't really the reason that the students and staff wandering around were watching them so intently.

Now that they were actively feeding the rumor of David's royal involvement, Henrietta was playing it up as much as possible, and the group were surrounded in guards. The princess herself had already left earlier that day, and while these guards wouldn't be going on the mission, they'd join the royal carriage later on in a different town. None of them were very talkative, so while Guiche and Siesta talked about something unconnected to the mission at hand, David was left to ponder to himself what was going to happen, ignoring the thumping on his back as he had opted to bring both Derf and his guitar, which he hadn't played in a long time and wanted to get back into during the trip.

Siesta didn't seem very concerned about the number of weapons surrounding them, talking as loud and excitedly as she usually did with the former playboy. At one point, Montmorency would punch him for speaking with another girl, but over time as the boy matured, he'd stopped his flirting, and by now, it was obvious that he was simply trying to get to know the maid, who he had rarely talked to except as an arrogant idiot at the beginning of the year.

Montmorency, meanwhile, laughed as she tilted her head to the Gandalfr, her arms waving at her sides loosely. "You seem nervous." she said, and smiled at the confused expression on his face. "You've never been paraded around before like this, haven't you?" She waved a hand in the air next to her head, chuckling and pushing one of the drills in her hair over her shoulder. "For us nobles, this is relatively common if you want to be noticed by your subordinates. Though, I suppose this is a different situation than normal." She shrugged, before blinking as Guiche turned around to her after one of the guards said something to him.

"It seems this is where I must take my leave!" the boy said, sighing in his usual over the top fashion. Like David, he was a completely different person when wielding a weapon, and when simply walking around like this, he acted relatively similar to how he initially did. It was odd, now that he thought about it, David realized he really didn't interact much with his sparring partner outside their matches. The blond bowed to his girlfriend, and from nowhere conjured a rose to hand to her as she smiled, stepping forward to wrap her arms around him, the two embracing as the other two stood by, waiting for the goodbyes to end.

It was sappy, annoyingly so, but he wasn't going to stand in their way. After all, while it was peaceful now, they had no idea what they would be getting into. If Siesta was innocent, then there wouldn't be a problem, but if she was in fact a secret mage, then this could very well be them walking right into a trap. For all they knew, this could be just as dangerous as the battle itself had been.

Speaking of that, Siesta seemed unusually calm for the situation. No doubt she understood exactly what was going on, and yet, there was no change in her usual optimistic expression, and as the two finally separated and Guiche waved his girlfriend goodbye before walking out of the convoy, letting the now three people continue onwards, the maid simply turned around and continued walking, quietly humming to herself as they finally made their way to the carriage waiting for them.

It wasn't as lavish as a royal carriage, but it was spacious, enough that the three could easily sit inside without being squashed together, and there was even a compartment for David to set his possessions. Siesta had chosen to sit at the far end, apparently fully willing to be blocked from exiting by the two mages as Montmorency took her place right next to the door.

The guards stood outside, not entering as they were not part of this mission, and one of them stood outside the door, coughing into his fist to clear his throat.

"Miss Sasaki, as you already know, this isn't just a regular home visit." he said, and Siesta nodded, her expression no different than usual. "You'll be accompanied by these two for a week's duration, and by royal decree they are both allowed to investigate in any manner they see fit. Both of them have multiple copies of the warrant, as does the carriage driver, so if you are to destroy one, there are more to prove their legitimacy. This extends to the rest of your family as well, so they must cooperate as best they can. Do you have any questions?"

The two looked at the girl ,who shook her head. "I'm well aware that you're all suspicious of me, but I won't go against the princess. Everything can be solved peacefully, since I know I'm innocent!" She smiled, and the guard sighed, shaking his head before nodding.

"Alright, in that case, I have nothing more to say except that Her Highness is hoping that all of you will be safe." he stated, and with confirmation from all three, he stepped aside, closing the door to the carriage, and after speaking with the driver, the guards stepped away to allow it to begin moving.

Almost as soon as it started, Montmorency groaned, leaning forward with her hands clasped against her stomach, staring down at her feet.

"Four hours of this…" she complained, and David laughed, reaching forward to pat her shoulder reassuringly.

"Do you get motion sickness?" he asked, and the girl nodded, already slightly woozy even though it had been barely a minute.

"Too easily...I've never been good with moving vehicles, I'd die if I tried to ride an airship…" She shakily reached into her cloak, popping open a clasp somewhere and pulling out a small glass phial filled with some sort of liquid.

She struggled with the wax seal, before managing to pop it of and downing the contents in seconds, groaning as she leaned back to rest on the cushioned backrest, sighing as she set the phial back where it had been set inside her cloak.

At the questioning gaze of the boy, she smiled, weakly raising her thumb up. "Potion for minor motion sickness. I'll be fine, just a little woozy."

"Oh, right, I'd heard you were a potions master." Siesta said, and Montmorency nodded, turning her head to look at the girl.

"I know I shouldn't show off my weakness to you, but I really can't help it. I've always walked or ridden animals everywhere, I've always been really bad with things with wheels. I don't know why, it's just something I'll never get over."

"At least you have potions to deal with it." David said, and the girl nodded.

"Right...They're pretty simple, I can make a lot of them quickly, but it takes so many resources to do anything more useful. These are just for me, so sorry if you need them too…"

David laughed, leaning back and crossing his arms. "Don't worry, I don't think I'll need any." He blinked as Siesta stated his name, turning to the girl. "Yeah, Sasaki-chan?"

The girl smiled, setting her hands together in her lap. "Why don't you play a song to help ease Miss Montmorency's pain?" she asked. "It's been so long since you've played anything, I'd like to hear it too!"

He pondered the statement, before smiling as he reached for his guitar case, opening it to pull out the instrument and setting it on his lap. "Alright, sure. I've been meaning to practice again, so I apologize ahead of time if I'm not as good as usual. I really haven't been able to sit down and play recently."

"This should be interesting." Montmorency said, sitting up now that the potion had begun its work. "Do something relevant if you can, everything's been so crazy lately, I need something to calm down to."

He smiled, thinking over the songs he knew for one that would fit well. He usually picked things that matched anyway, so that request was simple enough. Hmm…

He knew the perfect one, sighing as he set his hands on the strings and began to play.

"Open up wide, swallow down deep. No spoonful of sugar could make it sweet. The cancer inside, stealing my sleep. Night after night, it keeps haunting me." A darker song than his usual, but one that matched the situation to the letter. After so long, he finally found himself once again retreating into his world of music, pondering over the lyrics as he had done often when he first arrived here.

"The secrets I keep are tearing me up inside. I try to hide them and I wonder why. I wonder why I'm still running when I know there's no escaping." What an accurate statement. Who would have thought his life would end up so fitting to three lines from a random song?

"Come undone, surrender is stronger. I don't need to be the hero tonight. We all want love, we all want honor, but nobody wants to pay the asking price." And trying to be the hero is exactly what caused the deaths of King Henri and Wales. But he wasn't going to become identical to this song. He wouldn't cave so easily.

"Fall on my knees, fall on my pride. I'm trippin' over all the times I've lied. I'm askin' please but I can see in your eyes, you don't need tears for alibis. It's true what they say, love must be blind. That's why you're still standing by the sinner's side. You're still by my side when all the things I've done have left you bleeding." What did that lyric fit? He wasn't sure, but he knew it probably made sense in some regard. Siesta? Louise? Henrietta? There were many people who were damaged by his decision to hide his true nature.

"Come undone, surrender is stronger. I don't need to be the hero tonight. We all want love, we all want honor. Nobody wants to pay the asking price." The last part of the song was repetitive, and it only gave him more time to understand exactly the meaning of the words.

His scar was proof that he had failed his mission. Gandalfr had broken a promise, and this injury would forever remind him of that failure. A scar on the back is a swordsman's greatest shame, and he would never be able to forget it, even if everyone else did.

As he finished the song, he made a silent vow. For as long as this scar was present, he would never again let the life of someone he was protecting slip away from him.

Never again would the Gandalfr break a promise.


	182. Welcome to Tarbes

The last time David had gone this way, it was on the return trip from Versailles, and as soon as he smelled the salt in the air, he recognized that they were nearing the lake, sitting up to look out the carriage window to check out the area.

Siesta was asleep by now, and Montmorency had gone quiet, having sat curled up as tightly as she could to keep herself from throwing up as the potion didn't fully fix the problem, leaving him alone to entertain himself by looking over the lake.

He hadn't seen the lake since the banks were swollen from the Water Spirit's steady flooding in search of her Ring of Andvari, and now, it looked much different than during his last visit. This was the north side, not the south where he'd visited, but he could still clearly see a line where the water once reached, the rock and dirt flatter and more drained of moisture than the areas higher up. The smoothed land stretched for a relatively long distance, about three hundred feet or so, before reaching the current boundary of the lake waters.

He hadn't yet gotten around to the Ring issue, but it seemed the Water Spirit was keeping her end of the deal. Flooding wouldn't be an issue anymore.

He noted the smell of salt in the air, which he'd vaguely noticed on the way back to Tristain last time, but now that they were nearing the village that dug the salt mines, it was far more potent, an odd smell considering that Lagdorian Lake was a freshwater area. There must be some serious mining going on below the surface for this much to be kicked up into the air and stay there.

Squinting his eyes, he could just barely see the edge of the village of Tarbes, nestled in the forest wrapping around the lake, and as the carriage drew closer, he could pick up more details. Unlike Tristania and the town near the Academy, Tarbes consisted of many small single-story buildings sprawled out over a large area. From here, he couldn't see where the entrances to the mines or where the Zero Fighter were located, but that didn't matter right now.

All things considered, coming here didn't feel all that nerve-wracking. This was an important and potentially dangerous mission, but actually seeing the place he'd be staying in for at least a week, it felt almost like a vacation. It made sense, they were going from a recent battlefield into a peaceful village near the border of the country. It was understandable to be lulled into some sense of peace, even if he knew it was a bad idea logically.

As the carriage turned to the road leading into the village, the only one with actual pavement as far as he could tell, the target of this mission was jolted awake by a bump as the wheels hit some larger chunk of gravel, and she blinked, looking around tiredly as she yawned.

"Oh, are we here…?" she asked, smiling sleepily. "It's been so long, I wonder how everyone's doing…"

"What are your family like?" Montmorency asked, evidently doing better now that the cart had begun to slow down, and Siesta tilted her head. "We have to know, we are going to be staying with you after all."

The maid looked up in thought, before turning back to her. "They're pretty normal, I guess? I have a lot of siblings, but most of them are too young to work. My younger brother Julien is training as a soldier under Marquis Carnarvon. Carnarvon is the noble family who maintain Tarbes."

"There's nobility here? I thought Tarbes was only a commoner village." David said, and the girl shook her head.

"Normally, it would be, but Lagdorian Lake is part of the border between Tristain and Gallia, so Tarbes is a border city and needs to be defended, even though it's not really that important on its own. The Marquis is a good man though, it's rare to find a noble with such complete power over his domain and yet doesn't get arrogant."

"You're being very open now that we're in your home territory." Montmorency said, and Siesta laughed, crossing her arms and smiling as she looked out on her hometown, the carriage slowing down as it took a turn.

"I love this place. Nothing really happens here, so it's always peaceful. It's nothing like the craziness that's been going on lately."

"I guess it is a good time to relax." David said, and Montmorency frowned.

"We're here to make sure that she isn't a threat, can we really relax knowing that?" she asked, and David shrugged.

"We don't have to be so on edge all the time." He turned to Siesta, but still talked to the blonde. "We all know full well why we're here. Innocent or not, she won't do anything stupid, right, Siesta?"

The commoner smiled, nodding at the question. "Right. Miss Montmorency, I know you suspect me, and I would too given my role during the battle. But you're both capable fighters, and I know what David is capable of, even if I haven't seen it directly. Even assuming I am guilty, it would be nearly impossible for the same trick to work twice, wouldn't it?"

"...Why are you-" Montmorency went quiet, before sighing, crossing her arms and slumping to lean in her seat, evidently more active now that the carriage was rolling to a stop. "Alright, fine. I'll let my guard down a little, but I'm going to take every opportunity I can to investigate."

"You're pretty fired up, aren't you?" David asked. "Didn't you mention before that you prefer to take the back seat and watch everyone else change the world for you?"

The alchemist sighed, looking at him. "I only knew him for a short time, but William was still my friend. It's normal to want vengeance for a friend, isn't it?" she asked, and he blinked, before the carriage driver knocked on the cart door to alert them of his presence as it opened.

They were parked in front of a single-story house like all the others, not particularly large, but still spread over enough area that it was clear more than a few people lived here. In front of the door stood a woman who seemed in her late thirties, dressed in the dress and apron combination that Siesta usually wore, even here when she wasn't at work. The woman was holding back two children who were struggling to rush towards the carriage as the three got out.

Siesta smiled at the woman, laughing as she waved. "It's been a long time, mom! Don't hold them back, let the foxes free!"

The woman chuckled at her happy tone. "They've gotten rambunctious since the last time you visited. Be careful!" She released her hands from their collars, and the children rushed forward, tackling the maid to the ground as she laughed, wrapping her arms around the two as she sat on her rear in the dirt.

"Geez, you two. You don't need to be so excited, I'll be here all summer!"

"Siesta-nee, we didn't go into the study even once!" one of them said excitedly as the other nodded, equally energetic.

"We didn't even pull on Aneue's hair! We were good!"

Siesta grinned, keeping the two close to her. "Hmm, maybe I'll tell you some stories since you've been so good. Do you want to hear about the Root World? Or of Yuri Gagarin?"

"The World War II!" they both said, and she laughed, running her hands across both of their heads.

"More stories about grandpa? You two are always the same, you only care about the past!"

"Your brothers?" David asked, and she blinked, turning to him and nodding.

"Yeah, this is Andre and Takeru. I've got eight siblings, all younger than me, and these two are the twins. There's only a sister who's younger than them."

The two looked at the boy, before laughing as they climbed off their sister, running to stand in front of the Gandalfr and pointing up at him. David didn't know which was which, but the left one spoke first.

"Be nice!" he said, and David blinked, surprised by the sudden and random exclamation as the other added to it.

"Yeah, don't make trouble! Aneue will hurt you!" he said, and David knelt down closer to their level. His universal translation meant that he could understand them just fine, but the confused look on Montmorency's face told him that they were speaking Japanese. It made sense.

"Well, don't worry. I won't annoy her." He let the kids rant at him while Montmorency stepped forward, looking at the woman and coughing to clear her throat.

"Do you speak Tristainian?" she asked, and oddly, the woman's face flashed with a far more serious expression that David barely caught at a glance, before it returned to normal and she smiled brightly.

"Yes, I do. It's my husband, Saito, who speaks _nihongo_ natively and taught all our children. I don't have any ancestors from Midgard."


	183. The Sasaki Family

The interior of the Sasaki household was a different world from the outside. This entrance room appeared to be a combination living and dining room, and the twins joined in with the other two young children running around the table, while on the couch nearby, a girl around thirteen or so idly watched them, clearly not bothering to stop them. David suspected that she'd learned by now not to get in the way unless the younger kids were actually doing something wrong. The other siblings didn't seem to be here, most likely in their own rooms, and the father was nowhere to be found either.

The name "Saito" had been a red flag for the Gandalfr, but he had to remind himself that the man had showed up, albeit briefly, in the original series. He couldn't possibly be the same one he was thinking of, the name was just coincidence. With that thought in mind, he shook it off, leaving it for whenever he got a chance to actually meet the man, and looked around the room.

There were a lot of sofas lying around haphazardly, probably pushed around by all the residents, and the walls were lined with what seemed to be documents, some of which were sketches and drawings of varying quality and others were lists or articles written in Japanese, a language he recognized a handful of symbols from but couldn't read at all. Who knew what these pages said.

He turned as Siesta chuckled, watching Montmorency as she held one of the papers i hand, the blonde's eyes narrowed as she struggled to read it.

"These papers…" she said, and Siesta shook her head.

"They're nothing important. Dad writes them to remind everyone of things going on outside Tarbes. Until we're teenagers, we can't leave the town by the Marquis' law, and dad is close with him, so he gets information to tell the town. Although…"

Her mother smiled as she took the page from a hesitant Montmorency, who held on for a few seconds before relenting. "Saito was born here in Tarbes, but he is still better suited for his father's language than ours. So, everything he writes is in nihongo, and I translate for him outside the family. It's no harm done if everyone here primarily speaks it after all, they're still learning Tristainian well." She tilted her head at her eldest daughter. "Siesta here is a genius of language, she can switch between them faster than anyone else. Well, anyone but this young man."

David blinked as the woman turned to him, grinning as she waved her hand. "I hear that you experienced a particularly interesting spell when you first came to our world. Siesta rarely visits because of her work, but she is in constant communication with us, so she's told us quite a lot about you. Although it is a bit worrying that she stopped talking to us a couple days ago, and now there's this whole warrant of investigation going on...But such is life! Things happen, and don't worry, we'll be very cooperative. Saito is well aware that you were coming, he's already made preparations for you to be comfortable during your stay."

"Yeah, by making me sleep with these brats." the girl lying on the couch said, not even bothering to look at the group. "Hey, blonde one. Don't touch any of my stuff. I don't want to be part of you tearing apart our house for evidence that isn't there."

David blinked as Montmorency reared her head back, blindsided by the targeted statement. "If I think you're suspicious, then I will. David's more forgiving than I am."

The girl shrugged, waving her hand in the air nonchalantly. "Yeah, I'm well aware of that. Seriously, why are you even here, you-"

"Rin." Siesta said, her hands together in front of her as she faced the girl, her eyes closed in a forced smile that came out of nowhere. The aura of seriousness surrounding her was enough to make David step back, and even the four youngsters stopped what they were doing, staring at her. The teenager was affected as well, freezing up as she slowly turned her head to face her elder sister. "They're guests. Montmorency is just doing what's best for Tristain, we can't discriminate against her just because she isn't Midgardian. Cooperate with her, and don't act like that again."

Rin blinked, frowning. "But, sis, she's-"

" _Don't_ do that again." Siesta said, and the girl clammed up, before sighing and turning back to watching the kids.

"Fine, then. But I'll watch her just as much as she watches us. You know what dad said about trusting outsiders."

The heavy aura vanished as Siesta's smile became more genuine, before she turned to the guests. "I'm sorry about that, Rin is not a fan of nobility and tends to forget that not all of them are evil. She's been nervous ever since dad announced that you'd be coming."

"Where is he? I'm curious to meet him." David asked, and the maid laughed while her mother went into the maze of sofas to sit down.

"He's usually in the study, so he's probably there now too. The younger kids aren't allowed in there, but you can enter if you want. Just show him the warrant and he'll tell you whatever you want to know. Should I guide you there? Our home is a bit of a mess, it's difficult not to be with so many residents."

David was going to reject, but Montmorency stepped in quickly, nodding. "Yes, it seems that that is the most suspicious location here." She turned to the Gandalfr, who blinked. "You should talk to him though. I want to memorize the layout of the house."

"...It's only one story." the boy said, and the alchemist simply pushed him forward to follow behind the maid, confusedly weaving through the furniture as the children went back to their play. Rin ignored him as he passed, going back to her vigilant boredom as Montmorency was lead away by their mother.

Siesta hummed to herself as they turned down a hallway that was equally packed, full to the brim with clothes and toys, probably the youngest kids' that they'd left around to move on to other games. The hallway seemed to be the only one in the house, connecting to what appeared to be every other room as it looped around a right turn, before she stopped walking in front of one of the doors and turned to look at David, making sure he'd followed her. "Dad's kind of a nut for history, so try to hide your runes until he calms down. He's been excited to meet you."

Unsure how to respond to the warning, David simply nodded, and she turned to rap her knuckles against the door. "Dad, I'm coming in. David's here!"

Something thudded inside as someone shouted, before it transformed to a laugh, and as David moved his left hand behind his back to cover his runes as instructed, the door opened, and the boy came face to face with the man named Saito.

He wasn't sure what he expected, but he looked basically like an older version of the Saito he knew from the canon. He was shorter than the Gandalfr, who was pure American as opposed to the half-Japanese man, and had a similar wide-eyed expression as his fictional counterpart. However, unlike the one David knew, this man was clearly not a child, his posture a bit hunched from time and a full beard on his face, cut short but still clearly present.

Still, he didn't seem to mind the boy's surprise, laughing as he grinned up at him. "So, you're the one I've heard so much about. Come on in, Ou-sa-..." He blinked, before shaking his head. "My apologies, David-sama. A bit of a crossed wire somewhere in here, huh?" He tapped at his head, before laughing and stepping to the side. "Come on in! It's not as crowded in here!"

"Thank you for having me…" David said, before stepping inside and looking around the room.

It was cozy, a relatively small space dominated by books and artifacts similarly to Colbert's lab, and it was lit warmly by a few candles in the corners, unlike the natural lighting in the rest of the house. A chair was lying sideways on the ground, probably the source of the thudding he'd heard earlier as Saito moved to pick it up again, setting it against the desk to one side of the room.

"Make yourself at home, David-sama." the man said, smiling as he turned to the girl. "Siesta, you know what to get."

The girl nodded, locking the door behind her and heading to one of the shelves to leaf through the books, searching for something as David, still in a daze at what was going on, was guided to the chair by the man's hands on his shoulders.


	184. Saito's Revelation

**RIP Yamaguchi Noboru, 6096-6137.**

* * *

Saito smiled as he leaned to sit on his desk, moving papers out of the way with his hand to make room as he looked at the boy sitting in his chair. "I don't know if Siesta's mentioned us much to you, but you're relatively well known here in Tarbes." he said, laughing at the boy's confused expression. "And not just for Siesta's chattering, though she is popular here!"

The maid laughed at her father's talking, before stepping to David's side, holding up a paper folder in one hand. The title was in Japanese, but David did recognize the year 2002 written on it. He blinked in surprise, confused by the number. In Halkeginia, they had a different calendar, and for them it was the year 6140. What did this mean, then?

"Dad wanted to show you this, he thought you'd like it given that you're from Midgard."

The girl set the folder down in front of him as Saito laughed, pointing to the title. "I know you can't read kanji, so I'll translate for you. 'Sasaki-san and Yamaguchi-kun, circa 2002'. It's a memento of someone that I think you'll be familiar with."

Confused but curious, David nodded to the man, picking up the folder and opening it to look inside.

Instantly, his eyes widened at the sight before him. The contents themselves were not the first thing he noticed, but the fact that these pictures were legitimate photographs. Not the poor quality attempts that the Erikson family had been experimenting with, but an actual, functioning camera, and with relatively good quality as well, clear enough that he could easily see the contents, which were equally shocking.

"This is...impossible." he said quietly, and Saito laughed, pointing to one of the images, where a young adult looking exactly like his namesake stood next to a similarly aged Japanese man, who had an arm wrapped around the boy's shoulder as the two grinned for the camera.

"Surprised?" the man asked, his finger pointed at the boy. "That was me, fourteen years ago. Siesta was just a little baby back then, she didn't even remember this being taken. And this guy…" His finger shifted to the older man as he sighed, recalling old memories as he went silent for several seconds. "He was a close friend of mine, an aspiring author. You may know his name, David-sama. That man is Yamaguchi Noboru."

The Gandalfr pondered the name, unsure what the man was talking about. "Sorry, I never went to Japan, so I don't-" He blinked, his expression returning to a frozen stare as some memory triggered in him. Wait, this guy wouldn't be…"

"He told me that he wanted to write a story based on me, but sadly he had to return home the next year. I'd have thought he'd forgotten me until Siesta mentioned that you were familiar with some things you shouldn't have been."

The boy blinked, looking at Siesta, who laughed hesitantly. "Sorry if I seemed suspicious, but I've been watching over you. Yamaguchi-san told us about his ideas for a story based on our world, with artistic license of course since he couldn't possibly know all the details, and as soon as I noticed that you were paralleling the plotline he told us, I started watching you."

"Wait, so does that mean that you being the traitor is-"

"I can't confirm or deny that accusation without sounding biased. That and this are two different subjects, so you'll have to confirm my innocence for yourself. I just wanted a chance to tell you this without Louise around, and Miss Montmorency is also not someone I could trust with knowing this. You're the only person in the world who knows this about our family."

David blinked, looking down at the papers, thumbing through them and frowning as he found more images, captioned with a date and short description that he couldn't read. "The story is called 'Familiar of Zero'." he said. "'Zero no Tsukaima, since you speak Japanese. And Yamaguchi-sensei…"

"Is he doing well?" Saito asked, laughing. "He was sad to go, but he was only here for a short while before he figured out a way to leave by taking my father's Zero Fighter. I bet he's gotten popular, hasn't he?"

"Well…" David shifted in his seat, unsure exactly how to break the news. "He finished most of the story, but...He died before he could finish it."

The man's smile froze for a second, before slowly falling. "I...I see. I'm sorry to hear that." he said, looking up at the ceiling. "Siesta, you could have mentioned that part."

The girl shook her head, sighing at the dejected tone of her father's voice. "David never said anything about it, how was I to know?" she asked.

The man looked back down at them, before grunting as he hopped off the desk to stand up again. "If you don't mind, would you show David-sama where he'll be sleeping? I'd like a little time alone now. You know, some time to mourn my friend." He smiled sadly at David. "Thank you for telling me, at least. To us Sasakis, knowing the truth is far better than living in ignorance."

David frowned, standing up to look at Saito more directly. "I'm sorry for-"

"Don't be. I would have realized at some point anyway." The adult chuckled, reaching a hand forward to ruffle the boy's hair, an action which made him step back in surprise. "I think, hearing it from you, I can manage just fine. You don't realize the importance we place on you. I may be the basis for the main character, but you are living that life. To me, you represent that story that he wrote. So, do your best to keep at it, okay? Even if he's gone, if you remain, then it can continue. A story can still continue on without its author."

David wasn't sure how to respond to that, the heavy atmosphere in the air closing up his throat and keeping him from speaking as he found Siesta's hand on his shoulder.

"Don't get too much into it, David." she said, her tone equally serious, something that he rarely, if ever, had heard come from her before. "Dad was close friends with that man even though he wasn't here for very long, so seeing you living your path is like seeing him again. Coming to another world is a once in a lifetime experience, no one comes back after leaving once. Even if they are still alive."

~~~Somewhere in Albion~~~

George Tudor sneezed as the man sitting across the table from him chuckled, shifting to hold his chin on a fist.

"Founder bless you." he said. "Now, then. I've given you my offer, so what do you say? I know you had dealings with the Reconquista before, and that you've switched sides quite often. The war isn't over yet, and I promise that, if you join us as you did them, you will be pardoned for your repeated treason, regardless of whose side ends up winning."

The Archduke of Albion frowned, his arms crossed as he pondered the man's words. "Reconquista killed my brother and my nephew, and took away my daughter and my favorite servant. After the disaster of those negotiations, why do you think I'd follow another anti-royalist faction?"

The man laughed, humming to himself. "Hmm, why indeed? While you're here debating on allegiances, your family have all been manipulating the scenes from all sides. Henri's daughter has been increasingly more thorn in Albion's side with every passing day, and that elven bastard child of yours is suspected of being a Romalian soldier now. How lucky did she get, being allowed such a thing in a country so vehemently against their kind?"

"What my relatives do with their lives is not my business. I act to protect the sanctity of Albion, so that the Rune Carving tradition may continue unimpeded."

A smirk as the man recognized his words. "Oh, but now you've changed your story. Are you after protecting your family, or Albion as a whole? For that matter, is it not protection to do away with this archaic system of kings and queens? James Tudor recognized that a queen was unnecessary, so why don't you follow his practice? It seems like hypocrisy to-"

"You rebels aren't going to succeed in anything." George said, and the man went quiet at the monotone in his voice. There was no emotion whatsoever, nothing to suggest how this odd man felt about his own words. "Whether I help or not, all you will succeed in doing is prolonging this pointless war. I said I fight to protect Albion. I never said I meant the country."

The man blinked in surprised, confused by the statement. "But, those are one and the same, are they not?" he asked, and George shook his head.

"Albion was once a part of the mainland, before it floated into the sky. It is a place where my own master enjoyed visiting, ignoring the borders of countries. I don't mind if it never sinks back to the surface, but I want it to stay intact, in his name. This war is only causing more scars in its surface. If you surrender quickly to the Royalists and end this war, then I will consider your cause. A peaceful solution is always a better one."

His conversation partner frowned, before his face twisted into a growl as he stood up, the chair he sat in being flung behind him onto the ground as he slammed the table. "Fine, then. If you won't help us, then don't be annoyed when you are burned to the ground along with every other noble on this island. Reconquista is gone, but its legacy will remain. We will triumph."

As George watched him leave, he sighed. "There are more people you will need to defeat than you think, and many of them are far stronger than any of you. I wish you luck in dealing with the rise of a new Demon."


	185. Brown Flag

**Sorry for the long wait! I've had issues with writing What Goes Down, but I should be a little more consistent again now that I've sorted that out…Not a very long chapter this time, still kind of getting back in the swing of things, but hopefully I will get another out soon to make up for it!**

* * *

The room the two had been given was small, stuck in a corner of the house next to the equally small rooms of the other kids, and it was relatively neutral, a bed neatly tucked in and a desk with a few possessions, but not much else. Compared to the open door of the littlest kids' room nearby, which was cluttered and full of junk, this one was much nicer, and it made sense given the little amount of interaction David had had with Rin.

The girl didn't seem very feminine, and he could tell looking round that she wasn't a fan of living in such a busy environment. He could respect that, and he made a note to apologize for taking her room later.

For now, though, he had a dilemma, as there was only one bed. He and Montmorency were not that close, neither of them would be particularly comfortable sharing. He turned to Siesta, who tilted her head. "Do you have an extra futon? I can sleep on the floor."

The girl looked thoughtful, before shrugging. "Maybe, but you'll have to ask Rin. She really hates having things brought into her room without permission, even if it's necessary."

"Is she that obsessed with cleanliness?" he asked, and she laughed, shaking her head.

"Not cleanliness, but order. She's kind of the de facto babysitter since us three eldest are almost never at home, so she likes having at least her own space to always stay the same."

"I did notice there aren't any teenagers here, aren't you the oldest?" he asked, and she nodded.

"My oldest brother, Julien, is training as a soldier under the Marquis, and my sister…" She sighed. "Anyway, mom already had your things taken in, they're all under the bed. Rin would freak out if she saw that a sword was smuggled into her room, after all!"

He hummed to himself, stepping inside and crouching to look under the bed, and sure enough, his sword and guitar case, along with a few bags of what he assumed to be potion ingredients for Montmorency, were placed there, and he reached under to take Derf, who grunted in annoyance as he was freed from the darkness.

"I shouldn't be treated in this way!" it complained as David sat down on the bed, holding the sheath so the sword could talk. "That woman knows my importance, shoving me under a bed is rude!" The sword sighed, before its complaints cut off and it laughed. "Partner! How are you liking being in a place not swarming with mages?"

David smiled at the question, which was more in line with what he'd expect from the sword. "It's nice so far, I'm definitely not going to complain." He blinked, looking over at Siesta. "Where's Montmorency? Has she seen the room yet?"

Siesta shrugged, waving out the door. "She's learning the house's layout. I never really realized how meticulous she can be before now."

"She reminds me of Katie, my classmate." he said, and it really was true. The two blondes looked extremely similar, and Katei was known for writing down everything she experienced, no matter how trivial. If she hadn't directly confirmed she had no idea who Montmorency was, he'd have thought they were twins.

The maid nodded, before blinking. "I just remembered, I need to do something!" she said, before laughing and turning to leave. "Go ahead and get comfortable, we'll be having dinner soon and I'll get you then. Feel free to root around, that's why you're here after all!"

He smiled, waving to her as she closed the door, and Derf hummed, catching its partner's attention.

"She's oddly excited about all this." it stated. "Doesn't she remember that she's being investigated for treason?"

"Maybe she's just that confident that nothing will turn up." he mused. "That or she's just very good at acting."

"Have you found anything yet that can be used as evidence?"

"Hmm...I've learned some things but I still have no idea what to believe. I'm no detective, I don't know how to read people when they talk."

"Right, don't put blame or innocence on anyone until you've confirmed for yourself." the sword said. "You're maturing well, you've started to recognize how multi-faceted people can be. But for now, you should rest. I'll guard for you, you've had a long trip here."

The boy nodded, sighing as he set the sword down by the bed, hidden from the door by the night stand, and yawned. "Yeah, guess I should get some sleep. Tell me if Montmorency comes in too."

"Will do." the sword said, allowing the Gandalfr to go to sleep.

~~~Later~~~

Siesta hummed to herself as she set down the diary she'd been writing in, closing it and setting it neatly into the bookcase in front of her. Her room was larger than her siblings', but like the rest of the house, it was so cluttered that the actual living space was small. She didn't mind, though, used to moving around in tight spaces while at the Academy, and this was a space she knew very well.

She blinked as the door opened, and smiled as one of her brothers, the 12-year-old Noboru, pointed out into the hallway.

"Mom told me to get you." he said. "And to tell you to wake up the kenshi."

The girl nodded, sighing as she stretched and stood up, pushing her chair back under the desk and following the boy out of the room. "Where is Miss Montmorency?"

"She fell asleep trying to deal with the twins." Noboru stated, and Siesta laughed.

"Nobody can handle them, even her." she replied. "I'm surprised she lasted this long. Did she visit the study?"

"I don't think so. Mom only showed her our rooms and the kitchen. I know you said the only person outside the family who's allowed to see the study is the kenshi."

She smiled as they headed through the hallway. "Right. We'll cooperate and prove our innocence, but I don't want anyone but him to know about our family secrets."

"Shouldn't you be more careful? I mean, you're innocent but-"

"It'll be fine." She grinned, running her hand on her younger brother's head. "I'm here to keep him safe. I won't let him get caught up on the wrong track."

"Even when-" The boy was cut off by her hand gripping his head a little more tightly, a slightly strained expression on her face.

"Even then. My life and his are intertwined. You just focus on your own thing, let us adults handle the more important stuff. I'll tell you how this will end when you're old enough."

"You always say that! It isn't fair that you-"

"It's time to eat, Noboru. Let's not get stuck in the future."


	186. A Traditional Dinner

David blinked away sleep as he followed Siesta into the living room, where the mess of couches now was filled with the residents, Rin keeping the twins under control while Montmorency sat with her arms crossed, letting the youngest daughter play with her hair drills. Siesta smiled as she motioned to the empty couch near where her father sat, the man grinning as the two sat next to him.

"We don't have the spacious cafeteria that the academy does, so you'll have to make do with our little setup here." the man said, motioning to the kitchen, where the strong smell of cooking food filled the air. "We always eat like this, there's no room for a dining table so the living room makes do. I hope you feel at home here anyway!"

It wasn't long before his wife called out to everyone, and they turned their attention as she headed into the living room, carrying bowls in both hands and passing them to the nearest kid, who then passed them back in a chain to the people they were meant for, a process that repeated until everyone had their own.

Montmorency seemed doubtful, but David was hungry after the carriage ride followed by the revelation before his nap, so he laughed as he looked over the food.

It was relatively standard Japanese food, rice and noodles with some form of fish, probably from the lake, cut up on top, though unlike on Earth, it seemed the Sasakis preferred forks and spoons over chopsticks, which made sense given that it was probably hard to find good quality ones here in Halkeginia.

He looked around, surprised as everyone had started digging in immediately, and turned to Saito, as Siesta was also busy eating already. "Do you not do the 'itadakimasu' thing?" he asked, and the man blinked, confused by the question.

"What is that?" he asked. "I've never heard such a phrase."

The boy stared for a second, before turning to look at everyone else, and shrugging. "I guess it isn't universal, then. It's common for Japanese people in my world."

"Oh, really?" the man asked. "Show me! Now that you mention it, I do believe that Yamaguchi-kun mentioned something similar."

The boy laughed, and set his hands together in front of him. "Itadakimasu." he stated, before separating his hands. "It means something like 'Let's eat!'. I think it's a respect thing, like praying before eating."

The man titled his head, copying the motion and repeating the phrase before smiling. "I can see why they do it, it's an interesting ritual." he stated, before lifting his bowl up. "But, I think I prefer not waiting. Menage doesn't like it if we take too long and the food gets cold!"

The woman laughed as she sat down next to her husband, nodding as she patted his back. "That's right, none of us were born on Midgard. We don't need to follow the same customs."

The boy nodded, understanding the concept. It was reasonable, he'd never seen anyone here pray or anything before eating, so with them raised the same way, why should they do the same?

He turned as Montmorency spoke his name, and she frowned at him. "What were you talking about?" she asked. "I can't understand them, not everyone has your speech spell."

He blinked, before laughing as he leaned around Siesta, who happily ate while ignoring him. "I was just talking about something that their relatives in my world do. It's nothing major, just go ahead and eat. I've had this type of food before, it's good!"

"Can we trust it? They might have poisoned-"

"We still speak Tristainian, you know." Rin said, a low growl coming from her as Montmorency jolted. "Mom isn't going to poison you, that's a waste of food and there's too many people here to be wasting food."

The girl blinked, before sitting back in her seat, and reluctantly took a bite, before blinking, and soon enough, her hunger got the best of her, and like everyone else she quickly went through the rest.

It didn't take longer than a few moments of the entire family simply continuously eating in silence before it was done, and Saito laughed as they began passing the bowls back up for Menage to bring back into the kitchen.

As she walked in to handle the dishes, Saito waved his arms to catch everyone's attention, standing up in front of the couch setup. "Now, then. We've already gone over this, but it's best to reiterate it while we're all in one place. Well, other than our other two, but that aside. Now, as you all know, we have guests now, who will be staying here for the next week."

He motioned to the two visitors, and while David didn't mind the attention, Montmorency clearly did, shrinking into her seat with her arms crossed. Why was she so antsy, anyway? There was no indication that they weren't safe here, even considering the heaviness of the matter.

"Now, even though they are here to investigate a claim that our eldest daughter is a traitor to the nation, we will still welcome them. We have no reason to hide anything from people directly ordered by the royal family to come here, nor do we mind cooperating with Gandalfr. That makes all of us." He gave a pointed look towards Rin, who looked away as she was put on the spot, before he turned back to the room as a whole. "We also should speak in Tristainian as much as possible, as Miss Montmorency does not understand otherwise."

Montmorency jolted at his rough Tristainian, which was less intelligible but still fairly good, though he was clearly not as comfortable using it. David smiled, inwardly rooting for the man. He was doing his best to accommodate her too.

"Because of the language barrier, if either of them asks, we should do our best to translate if they want to read something, but of course, if it's your own private possessions, you don't have to unless it's important." He looked at David, smiling. "After all, investigation doesn't mean just invading everyone's privacy for no reason."

The boy nodded, sitting up. "Don't worry, I know my boundaries." he replied. "Is there anything that we need to know other than the obvious?"

"Julien may come to visit while you're here, so if you speak with him, it would be nice if you don't mention this. As a soldier, treason is a serious issue in his work, so it would cause unnecessary strife between him and Siesta."

Siesta laughed hesitantly. "He's always followed me, so that would hurt him more than it does me." she explained. "Since I was the one who suggested he become a soldier, and he didn't take the news that Viscount Wardes was a traitor well. So, treason's pretty personal to him."

She sounded genuine, and David didn't exactly distrust her, so he decided that he could write Julien off as an accomplice if the investigation turned anything up. The younger kids, too, were not a problem, he doubted they were even old enough to understand what the concern was. Mostly, it was just Siesta, her parents, whoever her other sister was, and maybe Rin to watch out for. But, he'd have plenty of time to find evidence, so for now, he could relax and let things play out naturally. He didn't want to distance himself unnecessarily after all, if they turned out to be innocent, he wanted to befriend them, even if actually meeting them again wasn't likely.

"By the way, what about Scarron, and Jessica? Sorry, I don't really know Scarron's first name…" he said, and blinked as the house went quiet.

"...Scarron?" Saito asked, before laughing. "I'm sorry, I don't recognize that name."

David felt Siesta elbow him, and he turned to her, surprised at the strained smile on her face. "That's a touchy subject, you shouldn't mention him so easily here."


End file.
